Postdoctoral Fellow in Cell and Molecular Biology

Faculty/Division: Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Department: Structural Genomics Consortium

Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Supervisor: Dr. Dalia Barsyte-Lovejoy

About us:

Home to over 40 departments and institutes, the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine lies at the heart of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network and is a global leader in ground-breaking research and education, spanning clinical medicine, basic science, and the rehabilitation sciences sectors.

Overview:

The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) is an international Public-Private-Partnership that supports the discovery of new medicines through open-access research (www.thesgc.org). Led from Toronto, the SGC within the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto is supported by public and philanthropic funding agencies and ten pharmaceutical industry partners. The SGC-Toronto Cell Biology group led by Dr. Barsyte-Lovejoy is seeking an ambitious and scientifically-creative Postdoctoral Research Fellow to investigate how drugging posttranslational modifications such as arginine methylation and ubiquitylation can be used to discover cancer and immune disease targets. The successful candidate will work in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary, highly collaborative academic and industry environment on projects that combine disease and basic biology mechanisms, discovering new inhibitors and exploiting them to determine the cellular function of proteins. Utilizing proteomics, epigenome analysis, novel inhibitors (chemical probes), and PROTAC degrader compounds, the candidate will discover how posttranslational modifications and their associated protein complexes are regulated and can be exploited to target cancer.

Recent selected publications relating to the project:

· Srour et al. PRMT7 ablation stimulates anti-tumor immunity and sensitizes melanoma to immune checkpoint blockade. Cell Reports. 2022 38(13): 110582.

· Szewczyk et al. PRMT5 regulates ATF4 transcript splicing and oxidative stress response. Redox Biology. 2022 51: 102282

· Dilworth et al. A chemical probe targeting the PWWP domain alters NSD2 nucleolar localization. Nature Chem Biol 2022 Jan;18(1):56-63

· Vu et al. Validating Small Molecule Chemical Probes for Biological Discovery. Annu Rev Biochem. 2022 Jun 21;91:61-87

· Wu et al Protein arginine methylation: from enigmatic functions to therapeutic targeting. Nature Rev Drug Discov. 2021, 20(7):509-530

· Szewczyk et al. Pharmacological inhibition of PRMT7 links arginine monomethylation to the cellular stress response. Nature Commun. 2020 14;11(1):2396.

Qualifications:

· Strong experimental skills in molecular biology, protein, RNA, and DNA analysis.

· Experience in cell imaging, bioinformatics, and proteomic/(epi)genomic analyses.

· Experience in cell culture, phenotypic screening, and cancer cell biology.

· Strong English language, organizational, team, and communication skills.

· Ph.D. obtained within the last 5 years.

Interested candidates, please send a CV and cover letter to Dr. Dalia Barsyte-Lovejoy d.barsyte@utoronto.ca with the subject line Postdoctoral Position in Cell and Molecular Biology.

The University of Toronto and its affiliated hospital research institutes comprise one of the largest and most productive centers of biomedical research in North America. Located in vibrant downtown Toronto, the University provides an outstanding opportunity for scientific research and career development.

Diversity Statement:

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons/persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

Accessibility Statement:

The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.

The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities.

If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact us at hrsgctoronto@thesgc.org.