Research Scientist/Engineer 3
About The Position
The University of Washington Bioengineering Department is hiring a Research Scientist/Engineer 3 in Professor Suzie H. Pun’s research laboratory. The Pun laboratory develops biomaterials for biomedical applications, including cancer therapeutics and diagnostics and technologies for trauma medicine. This position supports biomaterial development, characterization, and evaluation. The role develops biomaterial design strategies, conducts polymer and small-molecule synthesis, characterizes materials, and designs and optimizes experiments. It also coordinates research tasks, documents work, collaborates with research partners, and contributes to presentations, reports, publications, and grant proposals. The position trains and mentors junior scientists, students, and research staff. This is a regular, 100% FTE position on the first shift. The stated annual pay range is $80,244 to $89,004. The position is in the UAW Research bargaining unit. The University describes its Bioengineering community as inclusive and collaborative, and states its commitment to an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming community and equal opportunity employment.
Requirements
- B.A. in Polymer Chemistry, Materials Science, Bioengineering, or Chemical Engineering. Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications except where legal requirements apply.
- Four years of experience in controlled radical polymerization (ATRP and RAFT), large-scale (>1 kg) monomer and polymer synthesis, polymer characterization, and small-molecule synthesis.
Nice To Haves
- Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry, Materials Science, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
- Expertise in precision polymer synthesis, such as controlled radical polymerization (RAFT, ATRP, or related techniques such as ROMP or ROP).
- Experience designing functional polymers with tailored physicochemical properties, such as hydrophilicity, charge density, degradability, and rheology.
- Understanding of polymer–water interactions, osmotic pressure, and structure–property relationships.
- Experience with polymer characterization methods such as NMR, SEC/GPC, DSC, TGA, rheology, and DLS.
- Experience in small-molecule synthesis, including air- and water-free synthesis techniques.
- Ability to manage projects and meet deliverables on time.
- Experience evaluating biomaterials in animal trauma and/or hemorrhage models.
- Experience working with multidisciplinary research teams.
- Prior collaboration with industrial partners and/or clinicians.
- Experience mentoring and training Ph.D. students and undergraduates.
- Record of scientific writing and first-author publications in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals.
- Experience designing and analyzing statistically powered experiments using DOE, ANOVA, or regression and statistical packages such as JMP, Matlab, Minitab, Python, or R.
- Strong technical writing and documentation skills, including laboratory notebook skills.
Responsibilities
- Develop and implement biomaterial design strategies that support research objectives and long-term project goals.
- Review and synthesize scientific literature to inform experimental design, identify technical challenges, and contribute to project planning and feasibility assessments.
- Conduct polymer synthesis and characterize materials using appropriate analytical techniques.
- Design, execute, and optimize biomaterial evaluation experiments, including developing approaches to answer research questions and solve experimental problems.
- Lead or coordinate research tasks within broader project scopes, aligning work with project timelines and scientific objectives.
- Maintain detailed and accurate laboratory notebooks in compliance with institutional and funding requirements.
- Participate in research group meetings, interdisciplinary collaborations, and technical discussions.
- Collaborate with internal and external research partners to support project goals and identify research directions or funding opportunities.
- Train and mentor junior scientists, students, and research staff in experimental techniques, polymer synthesis, and laboratory best practices.
- Guide junior researchers in research design, data interpretation, and professional development, and review their work for quality, accuracy, and alignment with project objectives.
- Prepare and deliver presentations and technical reports for research groups, collaborators, institutional leadership, funding agencies, and scientific or public audiences.
- Contribute to peer-reviewed manuscripts and serve as an author or co-author on scientific papers, reports, proposals, and presentations.
- Compile research findings, progress summaries, and technical documentation for grant reporting and dissemination.
- Contribute technical sections, preliminary data summaries, and project descriptions to grant proposals.
- Assist in identifying funding opportunities and developing competitive proposals with research teams.
- Contribute to funding-agency progress reports and documentation, accurately communicating project milestones and outcomes.
Benefits
- Benefits are offered; the job description refers applicants to the University of Washington staff benefits website for details.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
