Postdoc Position in Molecular Toxicology
(100% available from Feb 01, 2023, or upon negotiation)
The Division of Molecular and Systems Toxicology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DPhW), is offering a postdoc position to investigate the toxicological properties of oligomers present in food contact materials. The project is integrated in the Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT) and financed for two years by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO). Further project partners are the Computational Toxicology group at the Department, and Nestlé Research.
The ToxOligo project addresses an important knowledge gap by characterizing toxicological properties of oligomers released from food contact materials (FCM) such as plastics, adhesives, printing inks and coatings. Despite known high levels in FCM, these substances are toxicologically poorly investigated, preventing adequate risk assessment. The proposed project will mainly focus on investigating bioactivities of oligomers.
Your position
The successful candidate will continue to study oligomers and make use of retrieved data on available knowledge of types of structures involved, exposure estimates and toxicological information. She/he will collaborate with the computational toxicology group to employ in silico methods to predict physico-chemical and ADME properties, reactivity of building blocks, stability of oligomers, genotoxicity, endocrine disrupting potentials, and chronic and developmental toxicity. A main part of the project includes the establishment of hazard profiles for relevant selected oligomers using in vitro assays on general cytotoxicity, cellular stress pathways, neuronal cell toxicity, macrophage activation, and/or endocrine regulation. Selected FCM extracts will be considered to identify potentially hazardous materials. Together with the project partners, levels of concern will be estimated, information gaps identified, and recommendations for follow-on toxicological analyses and an evaluation concept for safety assessment of oligomers will be proposed. Methods applied include systematic literature search, computational methods, and mainly in vitro cell-based assays for toxicological hazard identification and characterization. The successful candidate should have a PhD with solid experience in life science methods, ideally in molecular toxicology and in vitro assays. The successful candidate will be integrated in an international research environment and is expected to contribute to the activities at the DPhW and SCAHT as well as to writing manuscripts and grant proposals. We employ a multi-disciplinary approach and look for a highly motivated, pro-active and interactive team player.
Your profile
We offer you
Application / Contact
Your application, submitted electronically, should include your CV and motivation letter, copies of degrees and qualifications and at least two letters of reference.
Deadline: December 15, 2022
For further details, please contact +41 61 207 14 88
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