Associate Staff Scientist

University of Arkansas System•Little Rock, AR

1d•Onsite

About The Position

An Associate Staff Scientist position is available to apply specialized expertise to support the newly established Structural Biology Core at UAMS. The position will support the mission of the Center for Molecular Interactions in Cancer (CMIC) COBRE, which is supported by the NIH. The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute has made sizable investments to strengthen structural biology at UAMS and to make it an integral part of its cancer research programs. The WPRCI recently purchased a Glacios cryo-EM to be installed in 2026, which will escalate the impact and opportunities of this research staff position. The successful candidate will apply biomedical research and data science approaches to the Structural Biology Core to perform structure determination by cryo-EM and/or X-ray crystallography and to make these available to the UAMS research community. This is an exciting opportunity to impact several diverse research projects in a team-oriented environment.

Requirements

Ph.D. degree in Bioscience or related field, plus four (4) years of relevant experience, including progressive staff and project management experience required.

Nice To Haves

Experience in structure determination by X-ray crystallography or Cryo-EM OR Experience in linux system administration.
Desire to learn crystallography or Cryo-CM.

Responsibilities

Provide support for the CMIC Structural Biology Core and assist collaborating users
Facilitate successful structure determination by cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, and computation for the CMIC and members of the Arkansas INBRE network.
Assist in collaborating with users based on individual user involvement.
Assist with or perform crystallization screening and crystal optimization for crystallography studies.
Harvest and freeze crystals for the collection of X-ray diffraction data.
Collect diffraction data, perform structure solution, and conduct refinement.
Prepare and freeze grids for cryo-EM studies.
Evaluate samples by negative stain and cryo-EM.
Collect high-resolution cryo-EM data.
Perform particle selection, classification, structure refinement, coordinate structure determination, and coordinate refinement.
Develop novel computer tools, including Python scripts, to facilitate and integrate structural research.
Train students, postdoctoral fellows, and scientists in the use of the specialized resources for structural biology.
Maintain specialized Structural Biology Linux computing systems, including system and software upgrades.
Work with external vendors to troubleshoot/repair the hardware of the Structural Biology Core.
Work with other UAMS staff and departments as needed to maintain instrument and computer function, such as network accessibility.
Ensure compliance with the University, State, and Federal guidelines for the operation of these resources.
Perform other duties as assigned.