Hosted by:
Andela Saric
Institute of Science and Technology Austria
Computational Soft and Living Matter
andelasaric.com
Project Specification
Project Summary
Saric Lab develops computer simulations to investigate the physical mechanisms behind protein phase separation and aggregation, membrane reshaping and membrane division in cells and biomimetic systems. In this project we will build a coarse-grained Molecular Dynamics (MD) model of molecular condensates in contact with deformable fluid membranes. We will investigate the mechanics of such a multicomponent system, and conditions under which condensates cause membrane reshaping, pore formation, and repair. At the same time, by using data from various membrane-condensate systems tackled in the consortium, this project is expected to pinpoint general properties and general physical rules of membrane-condensate systems. The project will involve secondments at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Postdam, Germany (Lipowsky group), the University of Copenhagen, Denmark (Pezeshkian group), and at MD.USE Innovations SL (Santiago de Compostela, Spain).
Selected References
- C. Bussi, A. Mangiarotti, C. Vanhille-Campos, B. Aylan, E. Pellegrino, N. Athanasiade, A. Fearns, A. Rodgers, A. Šarić, R. Dimova, M. G. Gutierrez, Stress granules plug and stabilize damaged endolysosomal membranes. Nature 623, 1062 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06726-w
- J. Krausser, T. P. J. Knowles, A. Šarić, Physical mechanisms of amyloid nucleation on fluid membranes, Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A., 117, 33090 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2007694117
- C. Vanhille-Campos and A. Šarić, Dynamics of vesicle shape changes under osmotic shocks, Soft Matter 17, 3798, (2021). https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2021/sm/d0sm02012e
Standard duties and responsibilities of the DC
For the 36 months of employment contract the doctoral candidate (DC) will be required to work exclusively on the MSCA programme. In all cases, all duties and responsibilities will be clearly outlined in the DC personal Career Development Plan, as determined in the early stages of the project between the DC and their supervisory committee.
Candidate Specification
Qualifications
| Essential | Desirable |
|---|---|
| Applicants should hold or expect to attain, as a minimum a MSc or equivalent, in Physics, Maths, Chemistry, Computer Science, Quantitative Biology or related area. | |
| In line with the ISTA Graduate School enrollment criteria, time spent in postgraduate training after the award of a Bachelor’s degree may also be taken into account. Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree will be required to undertake a set of amount of ECTS units and laboratory rotations before allocation to the project. |
Knowledge and Experience
| Essential | Desirable |
|---|---|
| Research project carried out in at least one of the above disciplines. | |
| Aptitude for computational and numerical work, statistical physics, soft matter, physical chemistry, and passion for biologically-relevant questions. |
Skills and Competencies
| Essential | Desirable |
|---|---|
| Applicants whose first language is not English must submit evidence of competency in English. | |
| Evidence of interest, aptitude and research experience in the above disciplines. |
Application
- Before applying, please check the eligibility criteria HERE
- To apply, please write to andela.saric [at] ist.ac.at
Further information
For any informal queries, please contact Andela Saric by sending an email to andela.saric [at] ist.ac.at