Cell Assay Lead/Principal Scientist - Blue Sky Kinases
About The Position
The Senior Scientist will join the Cell-Based Assays team in the Blue Sky Initiative “Seeing the Invisible in Protein Kinases” at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The role applies cell-signaling research expertise and cell-culture skills to translate insights into kinase structure and regulation established in vitro into functional effects in cells. Cell-based studies will validate structural findings and investigate kinase-mediated biology and mechanisms of kinase regulation. The position leads and collaborates on multiple structure-guided cell biology projects, guides junior staff, reviews experimental data, and helps troubleshoot and optimize assays. Work spans multiple kinases, cell lines, and primary cells, with a broad range of molecular and cellular assays. The interdisciplinary initiative uses ultra-high-field NMR, cryoEM, X-ray crystallography, data science, and computational approaches to characterize the conformational landscape of the human kinome and investigate kinase function, disease-associated mutations, and therapeutic opportunities.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific area.
- Minimum relevant work experience: 15 years with a bachelor's degree, 13 years with a master's degree, or 10 years with a PhD.
- Experience analyzing protein kinases and phosphorylation-dependent signaling events or pathways.
- Expertise culturing a variety of cell types, such as cancer cell lines, primary cells, mouse embryo fibroblasts, inducible human pluripotent cells, immune cells, neuronal cells, and muscle cells.
- Expertise with multiple methods for exogenous protein expression.
- Proficiency presenting experimental designs and results using PowerPoint or similar software.
- Technical capability in cloning, PCR, and qRT-PCR.
- Technical capability in sterile technique.
- Technical capability in cell transfection, transduction, or infection to express proteins of interest transiently or to generate cell lines.
- Technical capability in quantitative immunoassays such as ELISA, AlphaLISA, and Mesoscale Discovery.
- Technical capability in immunoprecipitation and Western blotting.
- Technical capability in protein-protein interaction analysis, such as proximity ligation, FRET, or NanoBit assays.
- Technical capability in flow cytometry and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS).
- Technical capability in reporter gene assays.
- Technical capability in phenotypic assays, such as viability, apoptosis, proliferation, migration, colony-forming, autophagy, endocytosis, secretion, or differentiation assays.
- Technical capability in microscopy, including immunofluorescence, live-cell imaging, subcellular localization, and colocalization analysis.
- Technical capability in cellular fractionation.
- Creative and results-driven, with strong critical thinking and the ability to learn quickly.
- Hardworking, well-organized, flexible, and able to multitask efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
- Collaborative and efficient as a member of teams with diverse backgrounds and opinions.
- Able to prioritize work and complete assignments promptly.
Nice To Haves
- PhD.
- Experience with mouse models.
Responsibilities
- Research kinase-mediated signaling pathways, kinase targets or kinase-dependent phosphorylation events, and cellular outcomes for assigned kinase projects.
- Coordinate with the cell-based assays team and structural biology researchers to select appropriate cellular assays and cells for analyzing kinase signaling and cellular phenotypes related to structure-guided perturbations.
- Develop strategies and plans for cell-based assays assessing processes regulated by or regulating kinases, including protein phosphorylation, protein interactions and localization, RNA abundance by qRT-PCR, protein ubiquitination, and protein abundance.
- Lead and collaborate with scientists on multiple structure-guided cell biology projects, providing project direction and guidance to junior staff.
- Work with the cell biology team to implement and troubleshoot phenotypic assays, including viability, apoptosis, autophagy, migration, and differentiation assays.
- Review relevant protein kinase literature and team-generated data, and help design, optimize, and troubleshoot cell-based assays.
- Analyze cell assay data, including statistical analysis using graphing software or R scripts.
- Interpret and analyze results, prepare research reports, and communicate cell-based assay findings to the team and project collaborators.
- Contribute to recruiting and growing the team, and guide and mentor junior staff.
Benefits
- Generous paid time off.
- On-campus conveniences.
- Work-life balance.
- Opportunities for learning and growth.
- World-class facilities and state-of-the-art technologies.
- Extraordinary support and a collaborative, bench-to-bedside environment.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
