Ready for creative research to tackle key questions on biological membranes? Want to join us as a Post-doc and dive into groundbreaking scientific exploration? Apply now!

Your job
In this NWO-funded project, you will investigate the regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (Acc1) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) in establishing the average acyl chain length of membrane lipids in yeast.

Proper function of membranes and membrane proteins critically depends on the regulation of the fluidity (viscosity) of the membrane’s lipid matrix. In response to e.g. a change of the ambient temperature, the model eukaryote S. cerevisiae adjusts the fluidity of its membranes by tuning the level of unsaturation and the average length of the membrane lipid acyl chains. Whereas the mechanism of the former has been solved, the regulation of acyl chain length remains a mystery, although this more subtle mechanism may be equally important for membrane function. Your project will address this challenging fundamental question at the interface of yeast genetics, cell biology, and membrane biochemistry and biophysics.

You will investigate the regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (Acc1) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) in establishing the average acyl chain length of membrane lipids in yeast. In fatty acid synthesis, Acc1 synthesises malonyl-CoA that is iteratively consumed by FAS in producing C16 or C18 fatty acyl-CoA. Based on data obtained by us and others, we hypothesise that the C16/C18 ratio of the acyl-CoA produced is determined by the relative activities of these 2 key enzymes, i.e. increased activity of Acc1 vs. FAS favors a rise in C18 over C16 and vice versa.

You will investigate how yeast regulates Acc1 vs. FAS activity by designing and engineering a set of mutants, and applying a range of biochemical, genetic, -omics, and (fluorescence) microscopy approaches to uncover the underlying mechanisms.

Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• conducting independent research in the regulation of yeast membrane lipid composition, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed international journals;
• supervising Bachelor's and Master's thesis projects with topics relevant to your project;

We are looking for an ambitious and creative molecular life scientist who is interested in working at the interface of biochemistry, genetics and biophysics. You enjoy being part of an interdisciplinary team of scientists, and meet multiple of the following criteria:

• You have a PhD in molecular biology, genetics, biotechnology or related discipline.
• You have demonstrated experience with (yeast) molecular biology and genetics.
• You have a strong interest in (yeast) membrane and cell biology.
• You are strongly motivated, flexible, and able to run multiple projects simultaneously.
• You have a professional command of English, both in writing and speaking.

We offer:

• a position for one year, which will be extended to three and a half years after positive evaluation.
• a working week of 38 hours and a gross monthly salary – depending on previous qualifications and experience – between €3,226 and €4,185 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale 10 under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

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Working at the Faculty of Science means bringing together inspiring people across disciplines and with a variety of perspectives and backgrounds. The Faculty has six departments: Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Information & Computing Sciences, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Together, we work on excellent research and inspiring education. We do so, driven by curiosity and supported by outstanding infrastructure. Visit us on LinkedIn and discover how you can become part of our community.

Research in the Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics group focusses on the molecular mechanisms of cellular processes that involve biological membranes. We aim to unravel mechanisms underlying membrane assembly, homeostasis and function, with special emphasis on the lipid-protein interactions involved. Our research will help improve fundamental understanding of membrane function and provide insights in membrane-related diseases (such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease). In flanking applied research we investigate the modes of action of e.g. membrane-active drugs. Within MBB the team of Toon de Kroon studies membrane lipid homeostasis in the reference eukaryote S. cerevisiae. MBB participates in the Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research and in the Institute of Biomembranes.