Structural Vaccinology Researcher

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join our team in the field of structural vaccinology and computational immunology at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The successful candidate will work at the nexus of physics-based modeling and machine learning techniques and apply state-of-the-art experimental evaluations.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct advanced independent research to design and construct vaccine candidates using both experimental and computational approaches
• Employ a variety of structural biology techniques, including X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, to determine the 3D structures of vaccine candidates and their interactions with the immune system
• Use physics-based modeling, simulation, and machine learning techniques to predict protein-protein interactions, protein stability, and other biophysical properties
• Use high-throughput and automated protein expression systems and characterization assays to design and test vaccine immunogens in vitro
• Develop collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of computational scientists, structural biologists, engineers, and immunologists to integrate computational models with experimental data internally and with external partners in academia, industry, and other national laboratories
• Publish research results in peer-reviewed scientific or technical journals and present results at external conferences, seminars, and/or technical meeting.
• Work with other scientists to write proposals and expand our program into new areas aligned with your expertise and interests

Qualifications

• PhD in Structural biology, biochemistry, biophysics, computer science, computational biology, computational physics, computational chemistry or equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Experience with protein expression, purification, and structural biology techniques
• Advanced knowledge and significant experience in vaccine design and immunology
• Ability to work independently on defined research projects, as well as a member of a large team.
• Ability to develop independent research projects as demonstrated through publication of peer-reviewed manuscripts
• Ability to travel, as necessary, to interact with sponsors, customers and collaborators
• Advanced written, verbal communication and interpersonal skills necessary to deliver presentations, prepare written reports and to interact with a diverse set of scientists, engineers, and other technical and administrative staff.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in collaborating with experimental and computational biologists as well as understanding and using experimental data in combination with computational research
• Experience with computational modeling and simulation of protein structure and with other computational tools for describing or predicting biophysical properties of proteins
• Experience in developing and training machine-learning based models in high-performance computing systems.
• Experience computing binding affinity, stability and/or other metrics using scoring functions like Rosetta
• Demonstrated ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks and deliver high-quality results within deadlines

Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory?

• Included in 2024 Best Places to Work by Glassdoor
• Flexible Benefits Package
• 401(k)
• Relocation Assistance
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)
• Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity
• Our core beliefs - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity/our-values
• Employee engagement - visit https://www.llnl.gov/diversity/employee-engagement