Ultra-sensitive Detection and Screening - 2D Attogram Plasmon Detectors
Applications are invited for the above posts to join amultidisciplinary consortium located in laboratories of the CellBiophysics Group (see: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~mazpso/) and theApplied Optics Group (see: http://www.eee.nott.ac.uk/optics/) at theUniversity of Nottingham and funded by the RCUK Basic TechnologyProgramme. This consortium involves collaboration betweenbioscientists, chemists, physicists and electronic engineers atNottingham and Exeter Universities.

The overall project is to build ‘next-generation' array technologieswith applications in important biomedical areas includingneuropathological disease (such as Alzheimers disease), mutationalscreening and drug development. Wholly new technological developmentswill be undertaken with unprecedented sensitivities and throughputcapabilities.

Post 1 - Required to develop specific bio-functionalisation of anumber of different surfaces. This will involve the attachment of anumber of different molecular species to solid surfaces in order theycan be interrogated using novel sensor technologies. Candidates arelikely to possess training in biological chemistry, organic chemistry,physical chemistry or materials science. This post will be offered on afixed-term contract for a period of four years. Please quote ref. MS/01.

Post 2 - Required to utilise the new functionalised arrays andcompare them to existing arrays with a view to optimising theirperformance. Commercial arrays for cDNA, oligonucleotide andprotein-protein and protein-ligand interactions and identification willbe employed and candidates with some experience in these techniques arewelcome. This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for aperiod of two years. Please quote ref. MS/02.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor P O'Shea, Cell Biophysics Group, Email: Paul.Oshea@Nottingham.ac.uk.

Post 3 - As an essential part of the process of providing anintegrated approach to the development of array technologies, it isnecessary to develop innovative optical sensor solutions, which arecapable of detecting the small changes in the optical signal resultingfrom the interaction of the sensor surface with the targetbio-molecules. To this end, we propose to develop custom detectionarrays capable of measuring the resulting optical signals. Therefore,and imaginative and motivated engineer is required with excellentelectronics knowledge to spearhead this development. Experience in CMOSdesign and simulation is especially advantageous, as it will form amajor part of this project. The ability to understand and relate thedetector requirements to the complete system integrated system is alsovery desirable. This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract fora period of four years. Please quote ref. MS/03.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor M Somekh, tel: 0115951 5572, Email: Mike.Somekh@Nottingham.ac.uk or Dr M Pitter, Email:Mark.Pitter@Nottingham.ac.uk.

Salary for all posts will be within the range £19,460 - £29,128 perannum, depending on qualifications and experience (£21,640 maximumwithout PhD).

Candidates should send a detailed CV, together with the names andaddressed of two referees, to Emma Poole, School of Electrical andElectronic Engineering, The University of Nottingham, University Park,Nottingham NG7 2RD. Email: Emma.Poole@Nottingham.ac.uk. Please quoterelevant reference number.

Closing date: 23 September 2005.

Reference:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/hr/vacancies/research.html