NIH-SOAR-NCATS-Cell Biologist

Overview:

Overall Position Summary and Objectives

The contractor will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team contributing to collaborative projects with the goal of developing probes and drug lead candidates against novel targets aligned with the Antiviral Program for Pandemics (APP). They will apply cell biology and bioassay technologies for the development of screening assays and will be involved in all aspects of the implementation of small molecule screening programs including assay design, assay development and optimization, pilot and HTS, data analysis, and follow-up studies in support of structure-activity relationship (SAR) and mechanism of action studies for the development of novel pharmacological probes. May be required to work in BSL-2/3 lab as part of responsibilities.

DELIVERABLES

Work products and documents related to developing research plans and Research Collaborative Agreements; work with staff on grant/funding applications co-authored with NCATS colleagues and external collaborators. - Daily

Work products and documents related to developing and optimizing biochemical and cell-based, including BSL2 and BSL3 virus, assays for fully automated robotic screening in 384-well and 1536-well formats; analyze experimental results; organize findings into tables and figures. - Daily

Work products and documents related to evaluating new techniques and instruments; search literature; propose, design, and test alternative assays; confirm assay results; determine EC50/specificity; develop secondary assays. - Daily

Work products and documents related to operating liquid dispensing systems; test assays for utilization of probe candidates; propose and investigate new target projects. - Daily

Work products and documents related to maintain and update notebooks and equipment; prepare technical reports, summaries, and manuscripts; prepare oral presentations and posters. - Daily

STATEMENT OF WORK DETAILS

Provides technical experience needed to assist in studying the basic principles of plant and animal life

Work with the Antiviral Program for Pandemics to identify and develop antivirals 1

Develop research plans for new projects, including strategies for primary and secondary screens and advanced characterization, including BSL2 and BSL3 viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 2

Develop and/or optimize biochemical and cell-based assays, including the use of pathogenic viruses, for automated robotic screening in 384-well and 1536-well formats 3

Tissue culture, passaging, and plating, and cell line engineering to create cell-based re-porter assays 4

Perform virus titer and lot quality control studies 5

Work with staff on the interpretation of assay outcomes obtained from compound screening efforts

Assists with performing basic laboratory experiments and procedures

Work with staff on bioinformatic analysis of results obtained from enzyme assays

Co-author Research Collaborative Agreement write-ups and proposals for new collaborations between NCATS and academic institutions or private industry

Mentor and train trainees and staff on techniques

Develop and optimize biochemical and cell-based assays for profiling therapeutic interventions against divergent molecular targets and animal human pathogens

Analyze the experimental results and organize findings into tables and figures

Prepares, organizes and maintains various lab samples, supplies, and equipment

Evaluate new technologies and instruments resulting in proposals for new screening strategies and novel assay formats

Search existing literature; propose, design and test alternative assays for difficult screening targets

Confirm assay results and determine EC50 specificity for primary active samples; develop secondary assays for follow up; communicate results to facilitate small molecule probe development

Learns new laboratory techniques and procedures

Operate liquid dispensing systems Aurora FRD, Labcyte acoustic dispensers, Ther-moFisher Multidrop and multimodal detectors plate readers Tecan Safire, PE ViewLux, PE EnVision, BMG PheraStar

Analyze and organize experimental results using data analysis visualization software

Maintain and update laboratory notebooks and equipment

Maintain laboratory equipment

Write technical reports and prepare manuscripts; write experiment reports and prepare manuscripts for publication in collaboration with other investigators

Prepare oral presentations and posters for internal and external groupsconferences

Propose, design and test assays to allow for a secondary profiling and utilization of probe candidates at DPI

Identify potential collaborators, academic, governmental, and industry; propose and investigate new target projects for initiation based on novelty and relevance to human health

Provide timely updates to assay providers; send summaries by email; conduct periodical teleconferences to discuss issues and coordinate actions

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 represents priority rankings, where 1 is highest priority and 5 is lowest priority of those ranked

NCATS

Location

9800 Medical Center Dr-Bldg B Bldg: 9800B, Room: 373 Rockville, MD 20850

WORK HOURS

Number of Hours 40

Minimum Education Master's

Resume Max Pages 15

VISA SPONSORSHIP

Security Clearance

Willing to consider foreign nationals that require visa sponsorship

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Certifications & Licenses

D. in Virology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology or a related discipline. Three (3) years of specialized experience plus a Master's degree is equivalent to a Ph.D. Five (5) years of specialized experience plus a BA/BS degree is equivalent to a Ph.D.

Minimum of two (2) years of related experience in Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) research environment.

Experience in Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) research environment.

Skills (Ranked By Priority)

Skill at maintaining accurate and detailed records of laboratory experiments.

Strong communication skills, both oral and written.

Excellent analytical, organizational and time management skills.

Ability to multi-task, set priorities and pay close attention to detail.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 represents priority rankings, where 1 is highest priority and 5 is lowest priority of those ranked

Software

Operate liquid dispensing systems (Aurora FRD, Labcyte acoustic dispensers, Ther-moFisher Multidrop) and multimodal detectors/plate readers (Tecan Safire, PE ViewLux, PE EnVision, BMG PheraStar).

Field of Study

Molecular Biology

Microbiology