Klaas Jan van Wijk Plastid Biology and Proteomics Lab, Cornell University

Available Positions

Postdoctoral Fellows

Posted September 7, 2009.

I am looking for 2 postdocs in two different research areas and with different skill sets, namely:

1. A postdoctoral position in Mass spectrometry, Proteomics and Systems Biology. (2-3 years) in is available to contribute to various biological projects. The postdoc will work closely together with biologists, biochemists and other mass spectrometry experts in the van Wijk lab, as well as collaborators on Cornell University campus to solve quantitative proteomics problems and contribute to protein-protein interaction studies, as well as proteogenomics analysis of different species. Mass spectrometers (MALDI-TOF MS; nanoLC-Q-TOF and nanoLC-LTQ-Orbitrap) and other proteomics and bioinformatics infrastructure are located within the van Wijk lab. The applicant MUST have a very strong background in proteomics and mass spectrometry, as is evidenced by one or more publications in International Journals. In addition, active interest in bioinformatics (workflows) for proteomics and mass spectrometry data would be highly beneficial.

2. Postdoctoral Position for a Biochemist in Systems biology of Maize/Rice leaf development and cellular differentiation with emphasis on proteins and metabolic pathways. This project concerns a cell-type specific comparative analysis of C3 and C4 leaf development in Rice, Sorghum and Maize to provide the foundation for a systems biology approach to understanding C4 biology. The responsibilities of the postdoc include isolation of specific subsets of leaf proteomes (e.g. Bundle strands) for proteome analysis, as well as biological interpretation of large scale proteome (and other) datasets. In particular, a strong effort is needed on extracting biological conclusions and hypotheses from these large scale datasets. Experience in plant protein biochemistry and a strong interest in plant metabolism and systems biology is required. No experience in mass spectrometry is necessary. Salaries will be commensurate with experience with generous employee benefits according the Cornell Human Resource Office. Review of applications will begin immediately, and continue until the position is filled.

Application Instructions: Send your curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests and career goals, and three names of references by email to: kv35@cornell.edu

Graduate Student Researchers
If you are interested in becoming a graduate student at Cornell University, visit the Graduate School website or the Graduate Field of Plant Biology website.

Undergraduate Research Projects Undergraduate positions (for credit or salary) are open in the areas of plant genetics and plant biochemistry. Especially students that are interested in working over the summer are encouraged to apply.

I. Analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana

This project involves the genotypic and phenotypic analysis of T-DNA tagged Arabidopsis mutants.

Activities can include:
- Growth of Arabidopsis mutants
- Genotyping of mutants (preparation of genomic DNA, PCR, Southern blotting)
- Phenotyping of mutants (description of mutants, scoring for visible parameters)
- Biochemical analysis of mutants (Western blotting, protein purifications)
- Some bioinformatics (database searching)

II. Proteome analysis of plastids This project involves the biochemical characterization of the plastid proteins using biochemical techniques, such as 1 and 2-dimensional electrophoresis.

Activities can include:
- Purification of plastids from different tissues
- Protein and chlorophyll concentration determinations
- One and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis
- Western blotting analysis

If you are interested, contact Klaas van Wijk or visit the Cornell University Undergraduate Research Opportunities website for more information.