Postdoctoral Scientist - Structural Studies - Dr Suyang Zhang - LMB 3065

The successful candidate should have a PhD in biological sciences or due to complete PhD within 6 months, and a strong background in structural biology or biochemistry. Experience in protein purification and cryo-EM are desirable. The candidate should have worked independently and have good communication skills for teamwork.

We are recruiting a Postdoctoral Researcher to join Dr Suyang Zhang's group to investigate the mechanism of co-transcriptional splicing.

This is a three-year training and development position suitable for you if you have recently completed your doctoral studies, or you are looking to move into a new research discipline and/or need to further develop your research skills. Working with our world class scientists you will be working in an Institute renowned for its excellent scientific facilities and high-quality research.

The project aims to understand the mechanism of crosstalk between the transcription and splicing machineries using a combined biochemical and structural approach with a focus on cryo-EM and in vitro reconstitution.

In eukaryotes, RNA synthesis and splicing are intricately coupled to each other to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of pre-mRNA processing. Despite advances in our understanding of transcription and splicing as two separate processes, the molecular mechanisms underlying co-transcriptional splicing in a cellular context remain to be elucidated. We have defined the structural basis for the co-transcriptional recruitment of U1 snRNP (Science 2021, Nature comms 2025), which provided a model of how distant intron ends can be functionally paired for splicing. Additionally, we have discovered a regulatory mechanism that modulates Pol II elongation rate, shedding light on how Pol II speed may change across introns and exons (NSMB 2025).

The LMB has a collaborative working culture and state-of-the-art building on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. We have excellent public transport on site including the Cambridge South train station (a two-minute walk from the lab), cycle enclosures and on-site parking. We have a staff restaurant with roof terrace and access to a Campus nursery and sports and social facilities. You will be eligible to join our defined benefit pension scheme, a holiday entitlement of 40.5 days per annum (including bank holidays and privilege days) and a generous employee discount scheme. We are also committed to providing training and development opportunities including support towards role-related qualifications. Further information about the benefits available can be found at http://www.discover.ukri.org/benefits-of-working-at-ukri.