NMR] PhDs & Postdocs in MAS-DNP at CEA Grenoble (France)

Contact Gaël De Paëpe (gael.depaepe@cea.fr)

PhD and Postdoc positions are now available at CEA-INAC (twinned with the Univ. Grenoble Alpes), France. The ERC-funded project will focus on the further development of an emerging hyperpolarization technique called MAS-DNP (Magic Angle Spinning Dynamic Nuclear Polarization). Combining hardware development, computational/theoretical approaches and sophisticated NMR experiments, we will apply the newly developed methodology to improve the understanding of challenging systems (both materials and biomolecules).

Line of research / welcomed fields of expertize:

- Designing and conducting advanced DNP/NMR experiments

- Spin dynamics simulations for pulse sequence development

- Hardware development for cryogenic helium spinning

- RF/MW engineering

- Quantum Chemical Calculations and Molecular Dynamics simulations

- Experience with material and/or biomolecular sample preparation

- Basic knowledge in radical chemistry

- Matlab programming

- EPR experiments

The funded project is part of a larger ongoing activity involving a strong partnership between our lab and LNCMI/CNRS (for high-field EPR) as well as an industrial partner (Bruker Biospin). Motivated candidates must have a good command (written / spoken) of English and should send a detailed CV and a letter of motivation, as well as any questions, to gael.depaepe@cea.fr.

Grenoble is one of the major cities in Europe for research with a large international scientific community. In addition, Grenoble has a large international student population, is a very pleasant city to live in, and is known as the “Capital of the Alps” with easy access to great skiing and hiking. It’s also only 2 hours’ drive to the Mediterranean Sea, Italy, or Switzerland. Grenoble, Lyon, and Geneva airports are nearby and permit straightforward international travel.  

Selected references from the group:

1 – Enhanced Solid-State NMR Correlation Spectroscopy of Quadrupolar Nuclei Using Dynamic Nuclear Polarization, Lee D., Takahashi H., Thankamony A. S. L., Dacquin J.-P., Bardet M., Lafon O., De Paëpe G., Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134, 18491-18494, 2012

2 – Rapid Natural-Abundance 2D C13-C13 Correlation Spectroscopy Using Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Enhanced Solid-State NMR and Matrix-Free Sample Preparation, Takahashi H., Lee D., Dubois L., Bardet M., Hediger S. De Paëpe G., Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 51, 11766-11769, 2012

3 – Towards Structure Determination of Self-Assembled Peptides by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Enhanced Solid-State NMR, Takahashi H., Viverge B., Lee D., Rannou P., De Paëpe G., Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 52, 6979-6982, 2013

4 – Solid-State NMR on Bacterial Cells: Selective Cell-Wall-Signal Enhancement and Resolution Improvement using Dynamic Nuclear Polarization, Takahashi H., Ayala I., Bardet M., De Paëpe G., Simorre J.P., Hediger S., Journal of the American Chemical Society, 135, 5105-5110, 2013

5 – Untangling the Condensation Network of Organosiloxanes on Nanoparticles using 2D ²⁹Si- ²⁹Si Solid-State NMR enhanced by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization, D Lee, G Monin, NT Duong, IZ Lopez, M Bardet, V Mareau, L Gonon, G. De Paëpe, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 136, 13781-13788, 2014

6 – Nuclear Depolarization and Absolute Sensitivity in Magic-Angle Spinning Cross-Effect Dynamic Nuclear Polarization, Mentink-Vigier F., Paul S., Lee D., Feintuch A., Hediger S., Vega S., De Paëpe G., Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 17, 21824-21836, 2015

7 – Pushing NMR sensitivity limits using dynamic nuclear polarization with closed-loop cryogenic helium sample spinning, E. Bouleau, P. Saint-Bonnet, F. Mentink-Vigier, H. Takahashi, J.-F. Jacquot, M. Bardet, F. Aussenac, A. Purea, F. Engelke, S. Hediger, D. Lee, G. De Paëpe, Chemical Science, 6, 6806-6812, 2015

8 – A New Tool for NMR Crystallography: Complete ¹³C/¹⁵N Assignment of Organic Molecules at Natural Isotopic Abundance Using DNP-Enhanced Solid-state NMR, K. Märker, M. Pingret, Jean-Marie Mouesca, Didier Gasparutto, Sabine Hediger, Gaël De Paëpe, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 137, 13796-13799, 2015