Cell Assay Lead/Principal Scientist - Blue Sky Kinases
About The Position
This Senior Scientist position is part of the Blue Sky Initiative “Seeing the Invisible in Protein Kinases” at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. As a member of the Cell-Based Assays team, the scientist applies cell signaling research expertise and cell culture skills to translate insights about kinase structure and regulation, determined in vitro, into functional effects in cells. The role guides junior staff in designing high-quality cell biology experiments, reviews experimental data, and assists with troubleshooting. The work spans multiple kinases and cell types, requiring background research and optimization of diverse cell-based assays. These studies validate structural findings and may reveal new kinase-mediated biology or mechanisms of kinase regulation. The interdisciplinary initiative is part of the Department of Structural Biology and is supported by $50 million in institutional funding. It uses ultra-high-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), complemented by cryoEM, X-ray crystallography, data science, and computational approaches, to characterize the conformational landscape of the human kinome. The resulting knowledge supports research into kinase function and regulation in cells, the structural and functional consequences of disease-associated mutations, and potential therapeutic opportunities. The position requires a bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific area and 15 years of relevant work experience with a bachelor’s degree, 13 years with a master’s degree, or 10 years with a PhD. A PhD is preferred. The stated salary range is $138,320–$262,080 per year.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific area.
- 15 years of relevant work experience 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 in multiple methods for exogenous protein expression.
- Proficiency presenting experimental designs and results using PowerPoint or similar software.
- Technical capabilities in cloning, PCR, and qRT-PCR.
- Sterile technique.
- Cell transfection, transduction, or infection to express proteins of interest transiently or to generate cell lines.
- Quantitative immunoassays such as ELISA, AlphaLISA, and Mesoscale Discovery.
- Immunoprecipitation and Western blotting.
- Protein-protein interaction analysis, such as proximity ligation, FRET, or NanoBit assays.
- Flow cytometry and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS).
- Reporter gene assays.
- Phenotypic assays such as viability, apoptosis, proliferation, migration, colony-forming, autophagy, endocytosis, secretion, or differentiation assays.
- Microscopy methods such as immunofluorescence, live-cell imaging, subcellular localization, and colocalization analysis.
- Cellular fractionation.
- Creative and results-driven, with strong critical-thinking skills and the ability to learn quickly.
- Hardworking, well-organized, flexible, and able to multitask efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
- Collaborative and effective on 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 related cellular outcomes for assigned kinase projects.
- Work with the cell-based assays team and structural biology researchers to identify appropriate cellular assays and cells for analyzing kinase signaling outputs and cellular phenotypes associated with structure-guided perturbations.
- Develop strategies and plans for cell-based assays assessing processes regulated by or regulating kinases, including protein phosphorylation, protein interaction, protein 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 cell-based phenotypic assays, including viability, apoptosis, autophagy, migration, and differentiation assays.
- Review relevant protein kinase literature and team-generated experimental data; assist with assay design, optimization, and troubleshooting.
- Analyze cell assay data, including statistical analysis using graphing software or R scripts.
- Interpret and analyze results, prepare research reports, and communicate assay findings to the Cell-Based Assays 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.
- Opportunities for learning and growth.
- Work-life balance.
- 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
