Scientist

THIS POSITION IS FULLY REMOTE!

Position Objective:  The Infections of the Nervous Systems Section (INSS), NINDS require a Scientist to study and develop inhibitors to treat neurological diseases and oncogenic malignancies associated with HERV-K/HML-2 expression. The Scientist-advisor will analyze the genome for HML-2 elements and design inhibitors of viral proteins to investigate as therapeutics for the associated diseases. Additionally, the Scientist will design and optimize HIV protease inhibitors as positron emission tomography (PET) ligands to image HIV viral reservoirs. These experiments will be performed by the Scientist, other INSS lab members, and contract research organizations. The Scientist will design experiments, process all experimental data generated, and perform computational experiments and bioinformatic analyzes. The Scientist will also write funding proposals and manuscripts and present research findings at scientific conferences.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Perform, and guide/train others to perform, a variety of experimental procedures.
  • Computational generation of homology and AlphaFold models, ligand docking experiments, structure-based drug design, ligand optimization experiments.
  • Chemical synthesis of HERV-K/HML-2 and HIV inhibitors and characterization by NMR, mass spectrometry, and HPLC.
  • Analysis of compound pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
  • Bioinformatic analysis of the human genome for HML-2 elements and computational analysis of their translational capacity.
  • Biochemical assays for inhibitor identification and characterization: protein expression, high throughput screening (HTS), fluorescence-based protease activity assays, differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF), enzyme kinetics.
  • Cell culture, stable cell line generation, drug toxicity assays, cell death mechanism analysis, fluorescent imaging, Western blot, and qRT-PCR.
  • Viral propagation and titration; assays to measure antiviral activity of novel compounds.
  • Plasmid design and preparation, cold fusion cloning, and transfections.
  • Generation of solution (NMR) and X-ray crystal structures.

• Analyze experimental findings.
  • Process data (background subtractions, normalizations, etc.) and display results using Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism.
  • Determine statistical significance.
  • Compare compound activity to computational models; refine models as appropriate.
  • Use in vitro activity and structural data to develop structure activity relationships (SAR) and improve compound activity.
  • Research and refine drug formulation protocols.
  • Analyze pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data; make modifications to improve drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).
  • Examine the literature and compare findings with similar experiments and controls.
  • Evaluate experimental protocols and make modifications based on the data, scientific literature, practical experience, and resources available.

• Share scientific findings with the Nath research group and general scientific community.
  • Keep an organized and updated laboratory notebook.
  • Prepare project progress reports and presentations to convey findings internally.
  • Prepare scientific publications for submission to peer-reviewed journals.
  • Present findings at local, national, and international meetings.

• Collaborate on projects with other NIH laboratories and departments.

Basic Qualifications:

• 8 years relevant experience with a bachelor’s degree. Relevant experience may be substituted for education:
  • 4+ years’ experience with a PhD;
  • 6+ years’ experience with an MA/MS degree;

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with non-technical and technical staff
• Detail-oriented and possess strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and projects

*This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required by this position.  

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

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Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.