June 1, 2026
Postdoc Position – Giant E3 Ligases as Cellular Guardians (Clausen lab)
The Clausen lab at the IMP is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to investigate how giant E3 ligases act as guardians against diverse cellular stresses.
The Project
Cells face constant threats including microbial invasion, proteotoxic and organellar stress. Giant ubiquitin E3 ligases form the frontline of cellular defence, acting as colossal molecular machines that detect danger signals and neutralize threats by tagging unwanted molecules for removal. Despite their central role in innate immunity and cellular homeostasis, these mega-enzymes remain among the most poorly understood components of the ubiquitin system, being too large and flexible for predictive modelling, yet too complex for conventional structural approaches. This combination of biological impact, mechanistic mystery and technical challenge makes them exceptional study systems.
The Clausen lab is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to investigate how giant E3 ligases act as guardians against diverse cellular stresses. Key questions include: How do they recognize macro-substrates such as microbial epitopes, damaged organelles and RNA–protein condensates? How do they coordinate ubiquitination of non-canonical substrates, including lipids, sugars, and RNA, and what happens downstream? And how do disease mutations alter their activity to drive cancer, metabolic or autoimmune disorders?