Quantitative Virology-Immunology - Postdoctoral Researcher

LLNL • Livermore, CA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

We have an opening for a Postdoctoral Researcher in quantitative virology and immunology to contribute to interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of mechanistic virology, host-pathogen interactions, structural modeling, and rational vaccine design. The successful candidate will help drive experimental biology for projects that connect computational protein interface predictions and partner-generated interaction maps to functional biological outcomes. Current applications include mapping and validating virus-host receptor interfaces, evaluating engineered protein variants, characterizing viral antigen and immune recognition interfaces, and supporting immunogen-design efforts aimed at steering protective immune responses. This position is ideal for an experimental virologist, immunologist, cell biologist, or protein-interface biologist with strong quantitative instincts and working fluency with protein structures, structural models, and computational design. Candidates are not expected to be primary developers of computational models but should be comfortable using structural and computational results to design rigorous experiments, interpret uncertainty, and make biological decisions. The work supports LLNL missions in biosecurity, threat preparedness, and biodefense. This position is in the Microbiology/Immunology Group in the Biosciences and Biotechnology Division within the Physical and Life Sciences Directorate. Applicants are encouraged to submit a complete application package that includes a cover letter outlining their research interests, relevant experience, and alignment with the research program; a curriculum vitae (CV) with a publication list; and contact information for three professional references. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered. This is a two-year term appointment with the possibility of extension to a maximum of three years.

Requirements

• Background in mechanistic virology, viral entry, receptor biology, host-pathogen interactions, viral immune evasion, viral tropism, humoral immunology, B cell receptor repertoire studies, or vaccine design.
• Experience with pseudotyped virus systems, neutralization/entry assays, or related infectious-disease models.
• Experience with membrane proteins, endosomal trafficking, cell-surface receptor biology, conformationally dynamic proteins, or complex glycoproteins.
• Experience with high-throughput protein production, mutational panels, display-based screening, surfaceome or interactomics datasets, crosslinking/MS, or other protein-protein interaction assays.
• Experience with structural biology data, integrative structural modeling, cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, SAXS, HDX-MS, crosslinking MS, or structure-guided assay design.
• Programming or scripting skills for data analysis, visualization, automation, or workflow development.
• Experience collaborating with computational scientists, external academic partners, or multidisciplinary teams on integrated design-build-test projects.
• Awarded a PhD at time of hire date.

Responsibilities

• Conduct mentored research in quantitative virology, immunology, and host-pathogen biology, with emphasis on protein-protein interactions relevant to viral entry, immune recognition, and vaccine design.
• Collaborate with LLNL scientists and external partners in computational biology, protein engineering, immunology, and related disciplines to advance multidisciplinary research objectives.
• Generate, organize, analyze, and interpret experimental datasets using appropriate statistical and quantitative methods.
• Prepare and present proposals for new projects to lab management and subject matter experts.
• Contribute to moderately complex projects in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment.
• Contribute to peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and proposal-development activities.
• Pursue independent research ideas aligned with programmatic needs and broader mission areas in biosecurity, biodefense, and threat preparedness.
• Use structural models and computational protein-design outputs to develop testable biological hypotheses and guide experimental design.
• Design and execute quantitative cell-based, biochemical, and biophysical assays to evaluate protein expression, folding, localization, stability, binding, and function.
• Integrate experimental data with computational structural modeling, protein folding, inverse folding and physics-based simulations.
• Coordinate with internal and external partners in high-throughput data generation, protein engineering, immunology, and genome editing while building validation capabilities within the Biosciences and Biotechnology Division.
• Maintain accurate records of experimental methods, protocols, datasets, and results to support reproducibility and iterative design-build-test workflows.
• Contribute to planning for projects including virus-host interaction mapping and immunogen-design.
• Present research findings to project teams, Laboratory management, sponsors, and the external scientific community.
• Work safely and collaboratively in mission-driven bioscience environments
• Perform other duties as assigned

Benefits

• Flexible Benefits Package
• 401(k)
• Relocation Assistance
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Flexible schedules (depending on project needs)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree