Job Details

Scientist I – Structural Biology

Job ID: req1460
Employee Type: exempt full-time
Facility: ATRF: Other
Location: 8560 Progress Drive, Frederick, MD 21701 USA

The Frederick National Laboratory is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc.  The lab addresses some of the most urgent and intractable problems in the biomedical sciences in cancer and AIDS, drug development and first-in-human clinical trials, applications of nanotechnology in medicine, and rapid response to emerging threats of infectious diseases.

Our core values of accountability, compassion, collaboration, dedication, integrity, and versatility serve as a guidepost for how we do our work every day in serving the public’s interest.  

 Position Overview:

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Cancer Research Technology Program (CRTP) develops and implements emerging technology, cancer biology expertise and research capabilities to accomplish NCI research objectives. The CRTP is an outward-facing, multi-disciplinary hub purposed to enable the external cancer research community. A major focus of the CRTP is the NCI RAS Initiative with the goal to discover new therapeutic interventions against RAS-driven cancers. In addition, the CRTP hosts the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (NCL) which performs and standardizes preclinical efficacy and toxicity testing of nanoparticles intended for cancer therapeutics and diagnostics, and the Antibody Characterization Lab (ACL) which characterizes monoclonal antibodies or other renewable affinity binding reagents for use in cancer related research. CRTP scientists also work collaboratively with intramural NCI investigators to provide research technologies and expertise.

KEY ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Scientist I – Structural Biology

• The candidate will join the structural biology group within the RAS initiative and will be responsible for the crystallization and the structure determination of protein-small molecule and protein-protein complexes by X-ray crystallography and cryoEM
• The work will include construct design, biochemical and biophysical characterization, crystallization, X-ray data collection, structure determination, and analysis
• The candidate will work closely with protein scientists, biophysicists, and protein NMR scientists as part of an integrated structural biology effort
• The candidate will be a member of the drug discovery team, working closely with computational and medicinal chemists on structure-based drug design approaches for small molecule agent optimization. The candidate will be expected to be able to participate in experimental design and to conduct experiments in a priority-driven environment independently
• The candidate will be responsible for completing projects independently and as part of a team and will be responsible for timely updates of the project progress to their supervisor both informally and by formal report writing
• Work requires the use of personal protective equipment and adherence to strict safety protocols

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Possession of a PhD degree in structural biology, protein biochemistry/biophysics, crystallography, or in a related discipline from an accredited college or university, according to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
• Proven ability in all aspects of protein crystallography from construct design through structure determination and analysis
• Experience in the crystallization of protein-small molecule and protein-protein complexes
• Expertise in commonly used structural biology software packages
• Proficiency in protein biochemical and biophysical assays
• Excellent communication and witting skills
• Detail-oriented, highly organized and able to manage multiple tasks and deliver quality data
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in analyzing protein small-molecule interaction using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF), and NMR techniques
• Knowledge of mechanistic enzymology, and protein chemistry
• Knowledge of cryoEM workflow

JOB HAZARDS

• This position is subject to working with radioactive material and requires to become an approved radiation worker

Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) | Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran (M/F/D/V) | Drug Free Workplace (DFW)

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