Logo
Vandstrom

Scientist

Vandstrom, Gaithersburg, Maryland, us, 20883

Save Job

Join to apply for the Scientist role at Vandstrom.

Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features.

Department/Job ID:

Protein Chemistry and Engineering

Reports To:

Principal Scientist

Direct Reports (if any):

N/A

Job Overview The candidate for the Scientist position within the protein biologics division is responsible for bringing a creative edge to the group in terms of new method development and contributing to the development of new IP. The candidate will be responsible for various aspects of design, engineering, protein expression, and purification of soluble & integral membrane proteins using the fermentation set-up and contribute to the development of bioprocessing activities within the team. The candidate will collaboratively work with the Principal Scientist and other team members within the R&D team and will be responsible for aiding the implementation of R&D project plans and meeting milestones on key deliverables.

Roles Role 1:

Protein engineering and construct design

Use molecular biology/cloning techniques to design protein constructs that result in efficient purification schemes of soluble and membrane proteins.

Use molecular modelling techniques to examine protein structures to design / engineer point mutations to increase stability, performance (activity) or yield of soluble and integral membrane proteins.

Role 2:

Protein expression, purification, and biochemical characterization

Prepare necessary raw materials in laboratory processes e.g., buffers, solvents, media, etc.

Perform batch or fed‑batch fermentation to express soluble and integral membrane proteins in small and large scale.

Perform pilot/microscale experiments to find conditions to improve protein expression, stability, and yield with downstream processes in mind.

Use established SOPs to independently carry out protein expression and purification processes for downstream biochemical and biophysical analysis such as SDS and Blue native PAGE, DLS, UV‑Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence imaging and confocal LSM.

Work closely with Bioprocessing team in advancing strain development efforts.

Prepare new SOPs and work instructions capturing the workflow of new processes being developed within the protein biologics department.

Be accountable for project deliverables and communicate status and other related information to management and project team members.

Focused on details and efficiency in the laboratory as well as having an interdisciplinary approach to the tasks at hand while exercising good laboratory practice.

Be accountable for project deliverables and communicate status and other related information to management and project team members. Focused on details and efficiency in the laboratory as well as having an interdisciplinary approach to the tasks at hand while exercising good laboratory practice.

Collaboratively work with team members within the Protein group and from other groups within the R&D division to provide research plans, perform and analyze additional experiments and present the results to the department and/or the R&D team.

Be responsible for documentation and reporting of technical progress and results in the form of detailed reports, presentations and in SciNote.

Participate in the general upkeep and maintenance of the laboratory facilities and equipment according to OSHA standards.

Perform periodic literature searches to be aware of new cutting‑edge technology within the field of interest to the group.

Participate in conferences and stay engaged with the wider protein science community in both industry and academia to network and showcase Vandstrom’s scientific advances in protein sciences.

Contribute to writing scientific manuscripts for publication.

Contribute to structural biology efforts such as X‑ray crystallography, single particle cryoTEM or triple‑resonance NMR to decipher protein structure at high resolution.

Develop and implement new strategies to characterize conformational dynamics and stability of membrane proteins in nanoparticles such as liposomes, polymersomes and GUVs.

Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Minimum of 1‑2 years of experience working in an industrial bio‑technology research laboratory (preferred) or academia on integral membrane protein engineering and design

Publications in peer reviewed journals

Knowledge and experience with integral membrane protein expression systems and aseptic technique

Experience with site directed mutagenesis and plasmid/construct design.

Experience with a wide range of analytical tools and techniques for use in laboratory, incl. FPLC, HPLC, Stopped‑Flow, DLS, microscopy, NMR, TEM, etc.

Experience with bacterial fermentation is required.

Knowledge of fitting software and other advanced software packages such as Origin, MATLAB etc.

Excellent analytical skills

Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced environment, work short cycle times and flexible hours if required, and deliver results under pressure.

Effective communication and collaboration skills.

Ability to work independently and proactively in a fast‑paced and collaborative environment.

Self‑motivated and able to handle multiple challenging targets with flexibility in adjusting priorities for project support.

Experience with protein structure determination using X‑ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy or single particle Cryo‑EM.

Experience with Bioinformatics based multiple sequence alignment and protein molecular modelling (homology modelling) tools such as ROBETTA, AlphaFold (DeepMind), MODELLER, UCSF Chimera, PyMOL, Schrodinger, etc.

Ability to wear PPEs as needed.

Awareness of fire, safety, and chemical hazards.

Lifting, carrying, climbing, bending and the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.

Stand or sit for an extended period.

Ability to respond to alarms in case of a safety emergency.

Order chemicals and consumables on SAP ERP system and receive packages.

A natural curiosity and interest in new technology and ground‑breaking scientific developments.

Good general IT skills, incl. knowledge of MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.)

US work permit.

Additional Qualifications

Familiarity with the use of Artificial intelligence and Machine learning/Deep learning‑based algorithms to create mathematical models and simulations using high performance computing would be a plus.

Familiarity with Linux OS and computer programming languages for data mining (such as R or python) would be a plus.

Seniority level Entry level

Employment type Full‑time

Job function Research, Analyst, and Information Technology

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Vandstrom by 2x

#J-18808-Ljbffr