The National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), Bangalore, and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) are pleased to announce the NCBS/inStem/MPI-CBG Postdoctoral Fellowship (NCBS/inStem/MPI-CBG-PDF).
The program will provide excellent training to scientists through a structured exchange program to encourage scientific collaborations between MPI-CBG, Dresden, Germany and NCBS/inStem , Bangalore, India.
Each year there will be a call for collaborative projects, which must be proposed by two PIs, whereby one PI is located at the MPI-CBG, and the other at the NCBS/inStem.
What’s Included :
Two year joint post doctoral fellowship with annual review and renewal. Under exceptional circumstances the duration can be extended for one-year durations up to a maximum of four years.
When at MPI-CBG, the Fellow’s will be paid by a stipend at a rate of € 2,300 per month, which is not taxable in Germany. When at NCBS/inStem, the Fellow’s salary will be at a rate of Rs. 90,000 per month, subject to tax. Fellows should spend approximately equal amounts of time in Bangalore and Dresden.
Pre-Application Process :
Interested candidates should directly apply to the participating PIs of the joint
projects listed here.The application package should consist of the following:
- Your latest CV
- PDF versions of 1-3 first-author publications.
- At least 2 letters of references (e-mailed directly to the participating PIs)
If shortlisted by the participating PIs, you should develop a research proposal with detailed plans and timelines of the project for 4 years, developed in close collaboration with your proposed hosts.
Deadline for sending the pre-application to the PIs is 15th February 2017.
Decisions about the short-listed candidate will be announced within 2 weeks after this deadline.
Eligiblity :
Candidates should not have more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience. Candidates must work with the PIs to produce a 2-3 page research project proposal linking the Fellows’ interests with those of the host laboratories. The spirit of the proposal is that PIs and Fellows should structure the project so that Fellows spend approximately equal amounts of time in Bangalore and Dresden.Candidates must be sponsored by a local host who is a member of NCBS/inStem/MPI-CBG Faculty.
Deadline :
Deadline for sending the pre-application to the participating PIs: 15th February 2017
Deadline for submission of final proposals: 22nd March 2017
Final proposal submission:
Full applications consisting of the following should be sent by email as a single pdf package to acadoffice at ncbs dot res dot in AND to farkas at mpi-cbg dot de
- Your latest CV
- A research proposal with detailed plans and timelines of the project, developed in close collaboration with your proposed hosts. The length should not be more than 4-5 pages including references.
- PDF versions of 1-3 first-author publications.
- Letter of support from your proposed hosts (e-mailed directly acadoffice at ncbs dot res dot in AND farkas at mpi-cbg dot de)
- At least 2 letters of references/recommendations (e-mailed directly acadoffice at ncbs dot res dot in AND farkas at mpi-cbg dot de)
Short-listed candidates will have to present their research proposal and will be interviewed by the panel in Bangalore or in Dresden end of March or early April 2017. Decisions will be announced within 2 weeks of the interviews.
Contact Us : Please contact Ms. Lilla Farkas ([email protected]) Dresden, Germany or Dr. Rashi Tiwari ([email protected]), Academic Office, Bangalore, India for any additional information.
Joint Project Details :
Joint Project Blurb 1: Maintenance of the photosensitive apical plasma membrane of photoreceptor cells
Participating groups: Elisabeth Knust: MPI-CBG, Dresden (Email: [email protected]) and Raghu Padinjat: NCBS, Bangalore (Email: [email protected])
Drosophila photoreceptors are polarized cells in which the apical, light sensitive plasma membrane is highly expanded and specialized for light detection. The biochemistry underlying detection and transduction of light occurs within this apical membrane and involves robust Gprotein coupled phosphoinositide turnover. Defects in this process and a failure to maintain the size and stability of the apical membrane lead to light dependent photoreceptor cell degeneration and blindness. The Padinjat laboratory (NCBS) and the Knust laboratory (MPI-CBG Dresden) use Drosophila photoreceptors as a genetic and cell biological model to study the molecular basis of controlling apical membrane size and preventing light-dependent degeneration. Preliminary results from a collaborative study suggest a link between phosphoinositide signaling (studied in the Padinjat laboratory) and apico-basal polarity (studied in the Knust laboratory). We propose to analyze these interactions in more detail with a view to understand the mechanisms underlying apical membrane homeostasis in a polarized cell. In particular, we would like to study the alterations in lipid homeostasis that underlie the regulation of membranes in the apical domain.
Joint Project Blurb 2: Fundamental questions in Cell biology and Metabolism
Participating groups: Temo Kurzchalia: MPI-CBG, Dresden (Email: [email protected]) and Sunil Laxman: inStem, Bangalore (Email: [email protected])
The Kurzchalia and Laxman laboratories are looking for an outstanding joint postdoctoral fellow to address fundamental questions in cell biology and metabolism in the context of anhydrobiosis (or “life without water”). The two laboratories recently jointly discovered and published research showing how a neglected, but “textbook” metabolic pathway (the glyoxylate shunt) is essential for single cells (yeast) and whole animals (nematodes) to survive complete desiccation, through the rerouting of carbon towards the synthesis of trehalose (Erkut et al, eLIFE 2016, https://elifesciences.org/content/5/e13614). This study uncovered evolutionarily conserved principles of desiccation tolerance in cells, and delineated a novel pathway for cells and organisms to survive complete loss of water. This has opened up several discovery-oriented research directions to address fundamental questions in cell biology. The fellow will broadly work towards understanding the roles and functions of mitochondria, and unique aspects of amino acid related metabolism, observed during the process of desiccation. Several exciting directions within this area have been conceived related to mitochondrial form and function in this regard. The research carried out by the fellow will require seamlessly integrating biochemistry, cell biology and genetics, using two very versatile model organisms: C. elegans and S. cerevisiae. The fellow will work within the highly interdisciplinary research environments at inStem in Bangalore, and MPI-CBG in Dresden, and capitalize on the strengths of both laboratories in studying metabolic regulation and analytical biochemistry, as well as the individual strengths of both laboratories in cell biology or signaling, and nematode or yeast biology. At least half the research effort will be carried out in inStem, Bangalore and the other half in Dresden. Fellows are expected to drive new research directions in their host laboratories, exhibit substantial independence, and work towards establishing themselves as independent scientists.
Joint Project Blurb 3: Physical properties of Rab organization proximal to Endosomal Membranes and their role in Rab-GTPase chemistry
Participating groups: Marino Zerial: MPI-CBG, Dresden (Email: [email protected]) and Madan Rao (Email: [email protected]) and Shashi Thutupalli (Email: [email protected]), NCBS, Bangalore.
This is a joint project involving expertise in molecular biochemistry (Zerial Laboratory, MPI Dresden), experimental soft matter physics and theory (Thutupalli and Rao Groups, NCBS Bangalore). We aim to understand the physical properties of cytoplasmic protein compartmentalization, i.e. liquid droplets enriched in specific proteins, adhering to lipid membranes. We will focus on the proteins of the endosomal Rab machinery. Rab GTPases are central components of organelle biogenesis and function which recruit on the membrane effector proteins to regulate membrane compartment dynamics such as fusion, fission and motility. The physical properties of droplets of the Rab effectors, whether a liquid or a gel, can directly influence biochemical reaction rates that drive the above processes. Over the years, the Zerial Group has been studying the role and importance of Rabs and their interaction partners in cellular traffic and have recently demonstrated the clustering of Rabs and their effectors on membranes. In combination with biochemical reconstitution experiments (Zerial group; http://zerial.mpi-cbg.de/) novel microfluidic technology, quantitative microscopy (Thutupalli Lab; http://www.thutupallilab.com) and theory (Rao Group; https://www.ncbs.res.in/faculty/madan) we aim for a detailed quantitative understanding of the physical and biochemical drivers of these protein-membrane interactions, both in vitro and in vivo. Creative experimentalists having familiarity/experience with tools of soft matter physics and physical chemistry are encouraged to apply.
