Job SummaryWe are seeking a motivated biochemist and structural biologist to join the Bjorkman Lab as a Research Scientist. The successful candidate will lead efforts to design and evaluate pan-coronavirus immunogens and use structural biology to aid in our understanding of immune responses.
The biochemist will perform scientific research aimed at designing immunogens to elicit broad responses to coronaviruses and structurally characterizing antibodies and antigens. They will work directly with the PI on designs and modifications to experimental techniques and procedures.
Essential Job Duties- Characterize designed immunogens structurally and functionally, including expression and purification, binding studies, and structural studies.
- Perform animal immunization experiments to evaluate the immunogenicity of designed immunogens.
- Evaluate the immune response for binding, neutralization, and specificity.
- Perform research to determine the structural basis of immune recognition of antigens, including assessing binding of antibodies to immunogens and solving and analyzing antibody-antigen structures. Will organize and conduct experiments to study and investigate scientific problems.
- Work directly with PI, other lab members and collaborators on designing experiments, analyzing results, and writing scientific papers.
- Research work will be presented at seminars and conferences applicable to structural biology field; the candidate will participate in lab discussions and group meetings.
Basic Qualifications- Ph.D. in Biology, Chemistry, or related field.
- Minimum of 5 years of post-doctoral and/or biotech experience, including protein biochemistry, protein expression, purification, and characterization.
- Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in structural biology (Single-particle cryo-electron microscopy and/or X-ray crystallography).
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in vaccine design or evaluation in animals models.
- Must be able to develop solutions to complex problems that require the regular use of ingenuity, creativity, and analysis of situations or data that require and in-depth evaluation of criteria for obtaining results.
- Strong interpersonal, organizational, and leadership/mentoring skills.
Required DocumentsHiring Range$78,000 - $120,000 Per Year
The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.
As one of the largest employers in Pasadena, CA, Caltech is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.), tuition reimbursement, and more. Non-benefit eligible employees will have access to some benefits such as onsite counseling and sick time. Learn more about our benefits and staff perks.
