Research Associate for Structural Biologist to study Malaria Drug Targets

The laboratory of Dr. Daniel Flaherty in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Purdue University is seeking a research associate in the field of protein X-ray crystallography and/or Cryo-electron microscopy to support drug discovery efforts against a Plasmodium falciparum target of interest in our laboratory. The laboratory is a vibrant research environment and highly interdisciplinary with medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, and structural biology teams all supporting antibiotic drug discovery efforts. The successful candidate will pursue the first structure against the aforementioned target and gain valuable experience in the drug discovery process contributing to a team for advancement of molecules. Desired degree/skills: PhD with experience in protein crystallography/Cryo-EM and biophysical techniques with a proven track record of successfully solving ligand-bound structures. Required experience (in both bacterial and yeast systems) includes designing plasmids, cloning, mutagenesis, protein preparation, protein purification, and a strong background in utilizing PHENIX and COOT or other comparable software for structure determination. Desired Skills - Candidates with experience in any of these areas would also receive preferential review: Experience designing and executing biochemical assays for quantifying protein interactions with small molecules, such as with biochemical assays, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) or isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is a plus.

The candidate would have access to world-class facilities and instrumentation to support their work (crystallization drop-setting robots, screen optimization robots, plate imaging robots/hotel, walk-in plate incubator rooms, and rotating-anode home X-ray sources) within the Crystallography Core located in the Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology. Synchrotron data collection is also a 2-hour drive from our laboratory at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory with remote data collection capabilities. Additionally, Purdue is home to a state-of-the-art Cryo-EM facility complete with TalosF200C, Titan Krios G1 and soon a Titan Krios G4 Cryo-EMs. Other responsibilities include managing data collection time/trips, maintaining a laboratory notebook, assisting graduate students in crystallography, and manuscript preparation. The position offers a competitive salary commensurate upon experience plus benefits and is contingent upon meeting progress milestones. The successful applicant will be assessed for productivity on a bi-annual basis with the option of yearly renewal if agreed upon by both parties.