Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Protein & Structural Chemistry

Be a part of the legacy: Postdoctoral Research Fellow Program

Our Research Laboratories’ Postdoctoral Research Fellow Program aims to be a best-in-industry program for industrial postdoctoral researchers, designed to provide you with an academic focus in a commercial environment. With the resources, reach, and expertise of a large pharmaceutical company, postdoctoral researchers will be positioned to excel in an institution committed to breakthrough innovation in research and discovery.
 

The Department of Protein & Structural Chemistry (PSC) within Discovery Chemistry at our company's Research Labs (West Point, PA) is currently seeking a creative and highly-motivated Postdoctoral Fellow with expertise in protein biochemistry, biophysics and structural biology of proteins and antibodies, along with a keen interest in targeted protein degradation. The primary focus of this position will be to utilize a combination of cellular biology, biophysical and structural techniques to investigate the molecular mechanism of degrading membrane proteins through induced proximity.

Working in close collaboration with cell biologists, protein biochemists, medicinal and computational chemists within our company's network, the postdoctoral fellow will be engaged in a research project aimed at achieving impactful results that can be published in peer-reviewed journals. The successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of the experimental process from protein construct design, protein purification, sample preparation, assay development, and structure determination, as well as the effective communication of data with key stakeholders. We are open to considering promising candidates who may not meet all the specified experience and skills but are enthusiastic and passionate about making significant contributions in this field.

Responsibilities include:

Protein construct design

Expression and purification of soluble proteins, antibodies, and nanobodies. Experience with E3 ligases would be a strong advantage

Biophysical/biochemical characterization of proteins (SPR, TdF, LC/MS, in vitro assays)

Structural characterization of proteins and complexes by X-ray crystallography and/or cryo-EM or cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) 

Sharing of knowledge through attending internal and external scientific conferences 

Write and submit publications to peer-reviewed journals 

Position Qualifications:

Education Minimum Requirement:  

Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in structural biology, biochemistry, or chemistry and will have completed your PhD by May 2025.

Required Experience and Skills:

Ph.D. degree in structural biology or related field

Demonstrated experience in a broad range of activities for soluble protein purification (affinity chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, size exclusion chromatography)

Demonstrated experience in a broad range of activities for X-ray crystallography, including crystallization screening and optimization, crystal harvesting, data collection, and structure determination and/or demonstrated experience in a broad range of activities for atomic resolution single particle Cryo-EM, including sample preparation, data collection, image processing and structure determination.

Excellent communication skills (written, presentation, and oral)

Ability to work effectively and flexibly within timelines

Ability to manage a multifaceted project

Demonstrated ability to prepare peer-reviewed publications

Preferred Experience and Skills:

In-depth knowledge of current biophysical and functional characterization methods (e.g. SPR, thermal shift, ligand-binding, calorimetric assays, in vitro assays) to guide construct design and optimization

Experience with structure determination of multi-subunit protein complexes

Intended training and mentoring in one or more of the following fields during the postdoctoral fellowship:

Biophysical and functional protein characterization methods

Translational assays

Cryo-electron tomography