Applications for 15 MOSTMICRO PhD Fellowships are open!
The ITQB NOVA research unit MOSTMICRO has an open call for PhD Scholarships. Students can apply until 29 October, 2021, at 5 PM (Lisbon time) to develop their PhD research in one of the MOSTMICRO Labs. Selected candidates will be enrolled in the 2022 edition of the Molecular Biosciences PhD Programme.
The 15 fellowships are awarded in two different calls. One call for four positions for students wishing to execute a pre-defined PhD research project in one of the labs recently established within MOSTMICRO. Another call for 11 positions for students wishing to develop a PhD research project together with a supervisor from eligible MOSTMICRO labs.
Learn more about the calls and come join us!
Positions with pre-defined PhD projects to be implemented in the frame of the Molecular Biosciences PhD program;
Research fellowship 1, supervised by Dr. Ana Pina:
Cells organize reactions in membraneless compartments, which are formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins by specific peptide motifs. Coacervates, also formed by LLPS, are associated with the origin of life as primitive models of protocells. The first objective of this PhD aims to identify and predict the chemical rules that govern LLPS in membrane-less compartments by resorting to machine learning tools, and then create peptide-based synthetic compartments as artificial cells through the precise control of the peptides’ sequence. Experience in computer coding and/or bioinformatics will be highly favorable.
Research fellowship 2, supervised by Dr. Sarela Garcia-Santamarina:
The doctoral project will focus on investigating the effects of micronutrients on the composition and functionality of the intestinal microbiota and their effects on the host. To do this, a combination of systems-based approaches (high-throughput experimental platforms coupled to “omics” readouts) and tailored molecular and biochemical experiments will be used. The findings from this research will contribute to a better understanding of microbial physiology and responses to fluctuating micronutrient concentrations, as well as shed light on host-microbial interactions that might have a direct role in host nutrition. Learn more about the lab.
Research fellowship 3, supervised by Dr. Pedro Matos Pereira:
In Europe, the burden caused by antibiotic resistant bacterial infections is equivalent to influenza, HIV/Aids and Tuberculosis combined. A chief factor suggested to contribute for this heavy socio-economical burden is the capacity of bacterial pathogens, which until recently were though to be extracelular, to infect, persist and divide inside host cells. This project aims to explore the interplay between these facultative intracellular bacterial pathogens and host-cells autonomous immunity (mechanisms host cells use to detect and clear intracelular pathogens) in a context of bacterial infection and super-infection (bacterial plus viral infection). The selected applicant will undertake an exciting and interdisciplinary project involving molecular biology, microbiology, mammalian cell biology and complex multi-cell systems (e.g. organ-on-a-chip), advanced fluorescence microscopy (e.g. super-resolution microscopy) and image analysis. Learn more about the lab.
Research fellowship 4, supervised by Dr. Felipe Conzuelo:
The possibility of establishing advanced combinations of biotic and abiotic components is advantageous in the fields of energy, biomedical and environmental research. In particular, the interfacing of redox enzymes with synthetic electrode materials allows a better understanding of bioelectrochemical reactions and the application of biocatalytic processes that have been fine-tuned over billions of years of evolution for the development of innovative technologies. The PhD project aims to develop engineered bioelectrodes by integrating redox enzymes and other biological entities with conductive material surfaces to implement practical devices for specific applications, ranging from novel biosensors to energy conversion devices. Special attention will be given to the characterization and optimization of the devices. The use of various surface chemistry and biotechnological approaches will be investigated for the entrapment of biomolecules on the electrode surface, maintaining their stability, activity, proper orientation, and effective electrical connection. Learn more about the lab.
For any of these four positions, apply here.
These scholarships will be funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the Collaboration Protocol for Financing the Multiannual Research Scholarship Plan for PhD Students, concluded between FCT and ITQB NOVA, through its Molecular, Structural and Cellular Microbiology (MOSTMICRO-ITQB) research unit.
11 positions to develop a PhD project to be supervised by other eligible Lab Heads in the frame of the Molecular Biosciences PhD Program;
Doctoral Research Fellowships are intended for candidates who meet the conditions to enroll in the PhD Program in Molecular Biosciences and who intend to develop research activities leading to a doctoral degree at ITQB NOVA.
Candidates will need to indicate in which of the three MOSTMICRO thematic lines they are interested in developing their research:
TL1) Molecular Mechanisms of Biological Processes: Entails fundamental studies to understand, from a molecular perspective, the biological processes of microorganisms;
TL2) Anti-Infective Strategies against Microbial Pathogens: Studies important microbial pathogens and model organisms, ranging from single molecule to population-level studies, with the goal to fight infectious diseases;
TL3) Microbial Factories for Health and Sustainability: Explores the genetic and metabolic potential of microbes, and their enzymatic machinery, for the production of value-added molecules and processes.
Apply to these positions here.
These scholarships will be funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the Collaboration Protocol for Financing the Multiannual Research Scholarship Plan for PhD Students, concluded between FCT and ITQB NOVA, through its Molecular, Structural and Cellular Microbiology (MOSTMICRO-ITQB) research unit.
