Research Scientist I - Protein Sciences and Structural Biology

Embedded within the Broad Institute, the Center for the Development of Therapeutics (CDoT) is a highly collaborative organization of professional drug discovery scientists. Our mission is to translate cutting edge biological insights originating from the Broad community into impactful drug discovery projects. We partner with faculty from MIT, Harvard, and the Harvard teaching hospitals together with industry partners in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and venture capital firms to validate druggable targets and identify leads. We combine our deep expertise in drug discovery with the knowledge and unique capabilities of the Broad Institute to explore drug discovery projects in a wide range of disease areas (including oncology, cardiovascular, psychiatry, infectious and rare diseases). We use systematic approaches in genomics, biology, high content imaging, chemistry, and machine learning coupled with the Broad's culture of creativity, risk taking, and open sharing, to successfully advance science and develop new treatments for patients.

We are seeking a passionate and highly motivated Research Scientist I to join CDoT's Protein Technologies team. The successful candidate will have a solid understanding of protein construct design, expression, purification, and quality assessment. Experience in structural biology is advantageous.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities:

• Developing and executing strategies to clone and express recombinant proteins in a variety of expression systems
• Purifying tagged or native proteins using standard purification (FPLC systems and column chromatography) and analytical techniques (SDS-PAGE, Western blot, light scattering, and protein LC/MS)
• With training, produce high quality protein crystal structures and co-crystal structures, carrying out the process from crystallization screening through to structure refinement
• Initiating and completing routine protein construct design and production in an independent and efficient manner
• Demonstrating the ability to interpret experimental outcomes and proposing follow-up studies
• Troubleshooting and solving scientific problems related to protein production independently
• Operating and maintaining lab equipment independently, including protein purification systems like an AKTA pure
• Investigating new technologies related to protein expression and purification
• Documenting work and effectively presenting results in cross-functional project teams

Requirements:

• Ph.D in Biophysics, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Structural Biology or related life science field with 0-2+ years of research experience in an industrial or academic setting
• Expertise in recombinant protein purification using chromatography (affinity, ion exchange, and size exclusion)
• Significant experience with cloning and expressing proteins using different vectors, tags, and various cell culture systems (mammalian, insect, bacterial, yeast)
• Significant experience with protein characterization (analytical size exclusion chromatography, mass spectrometry, light scattering, western blot and biophysical binding studies)
• Experience in protein crystallography and crystallographic data processing, model refinement, and structural analysis is a plus
• Experience with biophysical characterization of proteins (ITC, DSC, SPR, NMR etc.) is a plus
• A proven record of successful interaction with project team members, external customers or vendors

The successful candidate will be a results-focused, team-oriented, creative bench scientist able to excel in a fast-track environment. She or he must be self-motivated, detail-oriented and exhibit strong problem solving skills. In addition, the successful candidate should be a clear and effective communicator, demonstrating strong interpersonal skills to enable collaboration with project teams, peers, and management in identifying and achieving research goals.