Senior Researcher in Structural Biology - Scott Blanchard Lab

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Overview

The Blanchard laboratory in the Department of Structural Biology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is seeking a highly motivated Senior Researcher with experience in molecular biology, biochemistry (preferably of membrane proteins) and quantitative biophysical techniques to investigate the structural dynamics and kinetics of GPCRs and their interaction partners.

Our highly interdisciplinary, collaborative, mission-driven environment requires a creative team-oriented individual with strong leadership skills, who would ensure quality operations and our vision to successfully pursue scientific advances.

In this role, the successful candidate will use protein and/or nucleic acid biochemistry, including protein expression, purification, and labeling and/or nucleic acid manipulation and purification. Expert ability to distill, convey and present complex information in a clear and concise manner both verbally and in writing is essential, as well as passion to learn and navigate new research fields.

The ideal candidate would be a recent PhD graduate (not more than 3 years ago) who is independently able to propose new hypotheses based on available literature, and design experiments and analyze data, with minimum supervision, to test these hypotheses.

Responsibilities:

• Design and perform biochemical and biophysical experiments to investigate structure-dynamics-function relationships of various integral membrane proteins or membrane-associated proteins involved in GPCR-mediated signaling pathways.
• Protein purification, site-specific fluorophore labeling, and biochemical/functional characterization of GPCRs, G-proteins, arrestins, and other signaling proteins.
• Perform single-molecule fluorescence (smFRET) imaging of labeled signaling molecules with guidance and training from technical experts in the field, analyze smFRET data, and interpret the results in mechanistic, quantitative frameworks with guidance and training from technical experts in the field.
• Work independently, leading a project from hypothesis to high-quality oral presentations and publications.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary group of researchers as part of a multi-institutional collaborative, including presentations to a broad audience.
• Train and mentor graduate students, post-docs and visiting scientists.
• Instructs other staff in basic laboratory techniques and procedures.

Minimum education:

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific area is required.
• Ph.D. preferred.

Minimum Experience:

• Two (2) years of relevant, post-degree work experience is required for a Bachelor's degree.
• No experience is required with a Master's degree.
• Post-degree experience preferred.
• Direct experience with expression, purification, and functional characterization of GPCRs and their transducers (G-proteins, arrestins, GPCR kinases, etc.) is highly preferred.
• Prior experience in single-molecule fluorescence analyses and/or GPCR biology is highly preferred.

Selected Publications:

• GPCR-mediated -arrestin activation deconvoluted with single-molecule precision.
• Single-molecule analysis of ligand efficacy in 2AR-G-protein activation.
• Single-molecule FRET imaging of GPCR dimers in living cells
• Quantifying secondary transport at single-molecule resolution
• CFTR function, pathology and pharmacology at single-molecule resolution

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Compensation

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Today, we continue the mission to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. As we accelerate this progress globally, we believe our legacy of diversity, equity and inclusion is foundational to success. With the commitment of leaders at all levels of the organization, we strive to ensure the St. Jude culture, leadership approaches and talent processes are equitable and culturally responsive. View our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report to learn about the hospital's roots in diversity, equity and inclusion, where we are today and our aspirations for an even better future.

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