Postdoctoral researcher on ERC StG DOLIGOAL – Uncover missing elements in the metabolism of the overlooked lipid dolichol

**Postdoctoral researcher on ERC StG DOLIGOAL – Uncover missing elements in the metabolism of the overlooked lipid dolichol** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *(ref. BAP-2026-648)* *Laatst aangepast: 05/11/26* An ERC funded full-time position as a postdoctoral researcher is available to join the Laboratory of Prof. Matthew Wilson in the GPURE: Gynaecology, Pediatrics, Urology and Reproduction subsection of the Department of Development and Regeneration at KU Leuven, Belgium. Our laboratory focuses on human metabolism and rare inherited metabolic disorders, particularly those affecting glycosylation pathways. These ‘Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation’ (CDG) number >200 and lead to a broad range of clinical presentations such as intellectual disability, skeletal abnormalities and epilepsy. Through their study we can better diagnose patients and understand the pathological mechanisms, providing treatment targets. Furthermore, we gain profound fundamental insights into underlying biochemical pathways, with implications for more common diseases. We are situated at the heart of a world-class health sciences campus at KU Leuven, with access to numerous state-of-the-art scientific facilities. The successful candidate will also be well situated in a collaborative international context; we currently coordinate an ERDERA network (RADICAL-CDG) aimed at developing novel CDG therapies, consisting of 18 collaborators in 8 countries. ##### **Responsibilities** Through identification of a new CDG (Wilson et al. 2024 Cell; PMID 38821050), we were recently able to revise the synthesis pathway of dolichol, a lipid underlying most eukaryotic glycosylation pathways. This, amongst other findings, has profound implications for human health and disease including common diseases such as neurodegeneration and hypercholesterolaemia. We were recently awarded a European Research Council Starting Grant ‘DOLIGOAL’ (https://research.kuleuven.be/EU/p/he/p1/erc/doligoal; https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101300830/fr) to better understand the biochemistry and cell biology of dolichol. The successful candidate will use diverse methodologies to solve missing steps in the metabolism of dolichol, implications for its transport or storage, and the importance of this for human health and disease more broadly. Key tasks/responsibilities will include: * Use of broad range of molecular biology techniques including DNA, RNA and protein manipulation, work with bacteria and mammalian cell lines. * The generation of cellular models using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing and other techniques including L2+ cell culture for lentiviral transduction of target cell lines. * Enzymological analysis of lipid metabolism pathways * LC-MS-based lipid or metabolomics analysis in collaboration with the laboratory of Prof Bart Ghesquière (VIB-KU Leuven). * The ability to work independently,