Research Associate I, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (Galveston)

University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) • Galveston, TX

10d • Onsite

About The Position

The Zhao Research Group at UTMB is seeking one highly motivated Research Associate to join our growing interdisciplinary research team. Supported by the Welch Foundation and other research programs, our laboratory develops physics-informed AI methods for understanding biological systems, with applications ranging from molecular biophysics and protein interactions to multi-omics integration, disease modeling, and therapeutic discovery. Our research sits at the intersection of Biophysics × AI × Computational Biology. We combine structural biology, graph machine learning, protein language models, statistical physics, and systems biology to develop computational methods that address fundamental biological questions and accelerate drug discovery.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in basic science or equivalent and no experience required.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Physics, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, or a related quantitative field
• Strong programming skills in Python
• Experience with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch
• Excellent problem-solving ability and willingness to learn new computational methods
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a multidisciplinary team
• Experience with graph neural networks, deep learning, large language models, or generative AI
• Experience with computational biology, structural biology, bioinformatics, or biological data analysis
• Experience with Linux, Git/GitHub, and high-performance computing
• Familiarity with protein structures, molecular simulations, or omics dataset

Responsibilities

• Under direct supervision, performs standard research assignments involving a series of related operations.
• Sets up and conducts standard research experiments following detailed technical instructions.
• Prepares biological assays and conducts basic quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Maintains records of all tests performed and data collected.
• Assists in the compilation and tabulation of data and provides preliminary analysis.
• Assembles, calibrates, operates and makes minor modifications to a variety of laboratory equipment as defined by appropriate guidelines.
• Adheres to internal controls established for department.
• Performs related duties as required.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level