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Dioxygenases use molecular oxygen to modify their substrates, which can include proteins, nucleic acids, fatty acids, and small molecules. Because of their versatility, dioxygenases are involved in many essential cellular processes, such as breaking down fatty acids, signalling, and regulating gene expression. Dioxygenases are also important drug targets, and many widely used medicines work by blocking their activity.

Understanding how dioxygenases function, what substrates they act on, how they perform their reactions at the molecular level, and what their three-dimensional structures look like is crucial for developing medicines.

The objectives of this project are to characterise the function, substrates, and structure of two unusual human dioxygenases related to cancer. This knowledge, together with artificial intelligence-based methods, will be used to guide the development of molecules that selectively block the activity of these two dioxygenases to enable future cellular studies on their potential as cancer targets.

This project will employ a combination of state-of-the-art laboratory techniques to produce these two human dioxygenases in bacterial cells, to identify the natural molecules they modify (using e.g. NMR, MS, plate reader-based activity assays), and to determine their three-dimensional structures (using e.g. protein crystallography); part of the work will be carried out together with international collaborators. Collectively, the results of these investigations will inform on how these two dioxygenases work at the molecular level and will help to define their roles in both healthy and cancer cells.

• Design, plan and conduct experiments related to the production and characterization of human dioxygenases
• Recombinantly produce isolated dioxygenases and mutants thereof
• Synthesize oligopeptide substrates and develop in vitro activity assays
• Perform enzyme activity assays
• Analyse data
• Effectively work together with team members
• Disseminate research results at project meetings, in peer-reviewed journals and at conferences

We offer a scholarship position in the Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS with a monthly stipend of 1500 PLN

financed from the OPUS 30 project no. 2025/59/B/NZ1/02711.

The stipend is for 12 months with the possibility of extension.

• The candidate will have the opportunity to work in a highly ambitious young research group at the interface of medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, and structural biology, and perform work with high translational potential
• The candidate will have the opportunity to build an expertise in a plethora of state-of-the-art biochemical and structural biology techniques
• The candidate will have an opportunity to present their work in group meetings, institutional meetings, and at conferences

1. At the starting date of the work within the project, the applicant should be a student of full-time first or second-cycle degree programmes or uniform Master’s studies at any university in Poland; (i.e., studying chemistry, biochemistry, biology, or a related field).
2. Ability to work independently as well as in a group
3. Background in biochemistry, structural biology, and/or organic chemistry
4. Excellent in English speaking and writing.

The recruitment committee shall evaluate the candidates’ research achievements, their research-related achievements and competencies as regards specific tasks in the research project, expressed as a point score:

• the candidate’s research achievements, including publications in prestigious academic press /journals (50% of the final score)
• research-related achievements, scholarships, awards and research experience gained in Poland or abroad, research workshops and training courses, participation in research projects (20% of the final score)
• the candidate’s competence to carry out specific tasks in the research project (30% of the final score)