Assistant Staff Scientist

Oregon Health & Science University•Portland, OR

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Pfeifer lab is a collaborative Research group within the School of Dentistry, Department of Biomaterial and Biomedical Sciences. The lab was established in 2011 and has been continuously supported by the NIH-National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and others. We have a strong track record in the fields of Biomaterials and Polymer Chemistry, with over 150 publications and several full patents. Our focus is to develop materials solutions for use in healthcare applications (including oral) with a heavy emphasis at the interface with microbiology and host tissue interactions. We have been able to be successful in this quest thanks to a multi-disciplinary team of highly collaborative individuals, including materials scientists, clinicians, engineers, chemists and microbiologists. The work we do spans traditional materials science and cell biology. Dr. Carmem Pfeifer seeks an Assistant Staff Scientist with extensive knowledge of microbiology and materials science related methods to drive research projects to academic and translational goals. This person will contribute to scientific direction of numerous projects and share the management responsibilities for lab members working on those projects. Technical expertise in the area molecular biology and molecular design, as well as collaborative research approach are key to success in this role.

Requirements

PhD in relevant field (Bioengineering, Biology, Biomaterials, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science)
Doctoral degree in Biomedical Sciences or related fields and a minimum of 3 years of post-doctoral work experience in a research lab with a focus on material-tissue/biofilm interactions
Intimate knowledge of molecular biology and microbiology assays
Knowledge of how to operate various instrumentation and basic engineering principles for applications and troubleshooting with instrumentation (including at least a few of the following: Mechanical testing: universal testing machine (flexural strength, fracture toughness, dynamic mechanical analysis, rheology); Spectroscopic techniques (IR and UV-Vis, mass spec, GPC, HPLC); Imaging (SEM and confocal microscopy))
Ability to optimize and adapt existing molecular biology protocols for analysis of modified material surfaces
Familiarity with spatial analysis approaches such as spatial transcriptomics, especially for engineered tissues or on-chip systems
Familiarity with technical writing, including research manuscripts, methods manuscripts, patents, and other IP documentation
Excellent communication, analytical, and organizational skills: both written and verbal
Intermediate skills with Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Access, Word, and PowerPoint) on Window OS, and other advanced graphing and image design software (Prism, Origin, Photoshop, Adobe illustrator)

Nice To Haves

Experience with molecular biology techniques, in silico docking, molecular simulations, microbiology, materials science
High-quality peer-reviewed publications
Grant writing experience
Small molecule synthesis
Peptide synthesis
MATLAB
Additive manufacturing
Workshop experience

Responsibilities

Contribute to scientific direction of numerous projects.
Share the management responsibilities for lab members working on those projects.
Drive research projects to academic and translational goals.
Lead discussions around research projects.
Proactively communicate with research team members for the success of the project.
Prioritize multiple tasks at one time.
Work independently and as part of a team while being collaborative in resolving problems.
Use empathy and diplomacy to support trainees and other lab members.