Research Fellow, Neurodegeneration and Structural Biology [LKCMedicine]

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) trains doctors who put patients at the centre of their exemplary care. The School, which offers both undergraduate and graduate programmes, is named after local philanthropist Tan Sri Dato Lee Kong Chian. Established in 2010 by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, in partnership with Imperial College London, LKCMedicine aims to be a model for innovative medical education and a centre for transformative research. The School’s primary clinical partner is the National Healthcare Group, a leader in public healthcare recognised for the quality of its medical expertise, facilities and teaching. The School is transitioning to an NTU medical school ahead of the 2028 successful conclusion of the NTU-Imperial partnership to set up a Joint Medical School. In August 2024, we welcomed our first intake of the NTU MBBS programme, that has been recently enhanced to include themes like precision medicine and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, with an expanded scope in the medical humanities. Graduates from the five-year undergraduate medical degree programme will have a strong understanding of the scientific basis of medicine, with an emphasis on technology, data science and the humanities.

Dr. Chuchu Wang’s lab is an interdisciplinary research lab integrating cryo-EM/ET, lipidomics, and NMR to study protein–lipid interactions in the brain. The key objective is to support efforts to identify how these interactions contribute to neurological disorders and to discover potential therapeutic targets.

For more details, please view https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/entities/person/Chuchu-Wang.

We are looking for a highly motivated and creative Research Fellow. The role will focus on advancing our understanding of the pathological mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, especially on disease-relevant amyloid fibrils (e.g., Aβ, tau, α-synuclein). You will utilize your expertise in structural biology (e.g., cryo-EM, cryo-ET and NMR), cell biology, molecular biology and biochemistry to investigate the molecular mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases, and to develop diagnostic and therapeutic small molecules targeting these pathological fibrils. The research aims to gain novel insights into the structural basis of disease-specific fibril polymorphism and to explore how these cytotoxic protein fibrils interact with potential diagnostic and therapeutic ligands.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead an independent research project focused on the molecular mechanisms of disease-relevant amyloid fibrils.

• Perform recombinant protein expression and purification.

• Conduct biochemical and cellular experiments.

• Determine high-resolution structures of pathological fibrils and fibril-ligand complexes using cryo-EM and/or cryo-ET.

• Apply for research funding and grants.

• Prepare manuscripts for publication and present findings at seminars and conferences.

• Contribute to a collaborative team environment, which may include guiding lab members and engaging with interdisciplinary collaborators.

Required educational qualification, experience, skills and competencies:

• A Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences or a closely related field.

• At least 3 years of relevant research experiences in neurodegenerative diseases, structural biology or cell biology.

• Hands-on, extensive experience in the entire cryo-EM pipeline, including sample preparation, screening, data collection, 3D reconstruction (e.g., using RELION or cryoSPARC) and atomic model analysis.

• Skills in protein biochemistry (e.g., recombinant protein expression and purification), biophysical characterization (e.g., Bio-Layer Interferometry) and cell experiments.

• A strong track record of publications in relevant fields (Publishing as the first author in reputable peer-reviewed journals is preferred).

• Good written and oral communication skills, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.