Research Technician – Molecular Structure and Dynamics

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory•Richland, WA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Biological Sciences Division (BSD) at PNNL is soliciting applications for an entry-level technician position to support the Standard Model of Biology (SMoB) Laboratory Objective. SMoB is a transformative effort to define the first principle chemical and physical forces that govern how the molecular parts of biological systems interact to result in function and emergence, as a basis to predict, design, and control biology. This position integrates super intelligence, computational biology, and biophysics to discover quantitative principles that connect molecular sequence, structure, interactions, phase behavior, and assembly to cellular and community-level phenotypes. The position will sit in the Molecular Structure, Function & Design Group. The individual will support multiple efforts primarily driving expression, purification, and biophysical characterization of high-quality protein samples. Additionally, the successful candidate will contribute to ongoing research by preparing reproducible protein reagents, maintaining accurate documentation, and, under supervision, helping develop and optimize protocols to study protein–protein and protein–small molecule interactions using a variety of biophysical techniques including biolayer interferometry.

Requirements

High school diploma/GED and 2 years of relevant experience OR Technical Institute Graduate (TIG)/relevant AA degree or higher and 1 year of relevant experience.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated ability to work in a highly collaborative, team-based research environment.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to execute and troubleshoot experiments safely and increasingly independently.
Technical proficiency in one or more of the following: Operation of FPLC systems for protein separations, Biolayer interferometry for molecular interactions, E. coli-based protein expression and purification of labeled and unlabeled proteins, Cell-free protein expression, ELISA, Circular Dichroism (CD).
Research experience with lipoproteins, Fabs, nanobodies, and protein–small molecule interactions is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

Support efforts primarily driving expression, purification, and biophysical characterization of high-quality protein samples.
Prepare reproducible protein reagents.
Maintain accurate documentation.
Under supervision, help develop and optimize protocols to study protein–protein and protein–small molecule interactions using a variety of biophysical techniques including biolayer interferometry.