Job offer: 18-month fixed-term contract for an engineer or/and research engineer in analytical chemistry and biochemistry

Engineer in analytical chemistry and biochemistry

Position: engineer and/or research engineer

Department/Division: Laboratory of Architecture and Function of Biological Macromolecules (AFMB), in the “Viral Replicases: Structure, Mechanism, and Drug Design” team. AMU CNRS UMR 7257. http://www.afmb.univ-mrs.fr

Location of the position: The AFMB is a structural biology center in Marseille, jointly supervised by the CNRS and Aix-Marseille University (AMU) and in partnership with INRAE and INSERM. It is located on the Luminy campus in Marseille and is organized into five research teams sharing common services and technological platforms.

Position percentage: 100%

Type of recruitment: Contractual-18-month fixed-term contract. Full-time. Remuneration according to AMU salary scale.

Recruitment date: Spring 2026

SCIENTIFIC CONTEXT AND MISSIONS:

The successful candidate will work on the PEPR-ANRS-MIE NEUROFLAVINA project managed by Dr. K. Alvarez, bringing together a consortium of seven academic partners aiming to develop antiviral molecules against neurotropic viruses of the Flavivirus family. This fundamental research project requires experimental scientific skills, data analysis, processing, presentation skills, and communication skills within a multidisciplinary team. The person recruited for this position will be responsible for setting up, implementing, monitoring, and analyzing the production of experimental tools designed to aid in the development of antiviral molecules.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

The main activities of the successful candidate will be the production of products by enzymatic catalysis followed by chromatography techniques, the production of enzymatic catalysts (specific identified proteins), and the analysis and characterization of the products obtained using conventional techniques. Related activities will include establishing a handling plan, recording and processing the data obtained, processing the data into a usable and presentable form, completing the materials available in the laboratory for archiving (electronic laboratory notebook), presenting the results obtained in the form of oral communications (internal and external), and participating in the drafting of publication materials.

• Contribute to selecting, developing, and adapting protocols for preparing and analyzing protein samples.
• Conduct a series of experiments using analytical chemistry, biophysics, and protein biochemistry techniques, adapting the experimental conditions as necessary.
• Ensure the production and purification of proteins (enzymatic catalysts).
• Ensure the production and purification of substrates and products by enzymatic catalysis.
• Implement, optimize, and validate protocols; identify potential problems.
• Exploit and present the results of the analyses, ensuring their follow-up and quality.
• Write reports on experiments or studies, technical notes, laboratory notebooks, and progress reports.
• Manage stocks of necessary equipment and reagents, obtain quotes, and order products in conjunction with the secretarial/management team.
• Supervise interns.
• Present results at consortium meetings.
• Manage and organize technical resources within the framework of a scientific project.
• Ensure the application of health and safety principles and rules.
• Participate in the dissemination and promotion of results in the form of oral presentations and publications.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) to PhD (depending on profile and experience).
• Analytical chemistry and/or biochemistry background.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of the main techniques:
• Protein expression and production in Escherichia coli bacteria
• Chromatographic techniques for analyzing chemical molecules. HPLC and HPLC/MS analytical chemistry.
• Protein biochemistry: purification by liquid chromatography (IMAC, affinity, ion exchange, gel filtration, etc.) on automated AKTA-type equipment,  HPLC/UPLC.
• Protein characterization (UV spectrometry, SDS-PAGE, SEC-MALS); protein handling (concentration, short- or long-term storage); quality control.
• Optional: Theoretical knowledge of biophysical techniques (study of protein-ligand interactions by TSA, ITC, and MST)
• Health and safety regulations.
• Applied computer science.
• Oral and written communication in English (level B1 to C1).
• Interpersonal skills: Experimental rigor, organizational skills, adaptability, autonomy, ability to work in a team, and interest in multidisciplinarity.

Please send your application (detailed CV + cover letter + references) by email in PDF format to Karine Alvarez (karine.alvarez@univ-amu.fr) with the subject : application for IE/IR position – NEUROFLAVINA project.