The Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) performs basic and translational research to fight against major infectious diseases. DHVI is seeking Postdoctoral Associates to join the fight against the HIV-1 virus. The DHVI is an interdisciplinary, interdepartmental institute dedicated to the study of host-pathogen interactions that can be translated into biologics and vaccines. DHVI is composed of a team of highly interactive investigators that have expertise in mucosal and systemic immunology, virology, molecular and structural biology, computational biology, and animal medicine.
We are seeking a motivated individual to join our team who is dedicated to studying the SARS-CoV-2 fusino protein Spike with experience in computational and/or experimental structural biology involving protein design, molecular dynamics simulation, single particle cryo-electron microscopy, x-ray crystallography, or single-molecule FRET. The Postdoctoral Associate will work independently to develop and apply computational and experimental methods to study fusion protein dynamics to aid in developing a broadly protective coronavirus vaccine.
The multi-disciplinary approach to vaccine development at DHVI will afford the Postdoctoral Associate exposure to many areas of vaccine research with a multitude of opportunities to apply both computational and experimental structural biology methods to efforts aimed at combating the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Under the guidance of the Principal Investigator, the candidate will be responsible for developing methodology, performing data analysis, designing, and executing experiments, presenting the results at internal and external meetings, and drafting scientific publications. These studies will have a major impact on vaccine development that will be translated into human clinical trials.
The Postdoctoral Associate will perform some or all of the following activities:
- Study the structure and dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike.
- Computational protein design of SARS-CoV-2 fusion protein conformation.
- Molecular simulation of SARS-CoV-2 Spike proteins to inform vaccine design.
- High-resolution structure determination via single particle cryo-electron microscopy and/or cryo-electron tomography to study SARS-CoV-2 fusion protein structure.
- Design, develop, and implement computational programs to assist with the performance of the above activities.
- Present scientific results at meetings and publish results in peer-reviewed journals.
- Training in bioethics, laboratory management, and scientific writing.
- Maintain accurate laboratory documentation of experiments, including raw experimental data and laboratory notebooks.
The position requires a PhD in computational biology, bioinformatics, structural biology, biophysics, biochemistry, or a related discipline and a strong record of publications in peer-reviewed journals. The candidate is expected to have a strong background in computer programming and familiarity working in a high-performance computing environment. Ideal candidates will possess excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to work in a highly collaborative team environment.
