Research Scientist

Research Scientist

A research scientist position is available in the Zyla Lab, within the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. As a research scientist in the Zyla Lab, you'll lead your own independent research program on viral fusion and host-pathogen interactions, using cryo-em and cryo-et to get at questions about how viruses actually engage and enter host cells at the structural level.

Beyond your own project, you'll shape how structural virology gets done across the department, setting up pipelines and sops that other labs will rely on for years. Day to day, that might mean optimizing sample prep and data collection for a new viral fusion complex one week, and troubleshooting a tomography workflow with a postdoc from another lab the next.

It's a role with real ownership, both scientifically and in terms of building infrastructure, and it comes with the support and mentorship of an established pi while still giving you room to grow your own scientific identity, secure your own funding, and eventually build toward a faculty-track career.

key responsibilities:

• lead an independent research project on the cryo-em/cryo-et aspects of viral fusion and host-pathogen interactions
• introduce and establish cryo-et capabilities at cu anschutz
• develop and optimize data-processing pipelines and sops for cryo-em/cryo-et work
• mentor and train graduate students, postdocs, and other lab/department members
• write grants and secure independent funding
• collaborate with researchers across the lab, department, and university, and represent the lab at conferences
• contribute to manuscript writing, data analysis, and broader lab management

work location: onsite – this role is expected to work onsite and is located in aurora, co.

why join us:

our department conducts research across a wide biological scale for fundamental scientific understanding with applications to many disease contexts. The overarching goal is to reach a level of molecular insight that helps develop therapeutic approaches to disease. As biochemists and molecular geneticists, we are amid an unprecedented time of discovery - our conception of the molecular biology of cells is going from the equivalent of grainy black-and-white to high-resolution technicolor.

From deciphering the choreography of transcription complexes, chromosomes, and rna molecules within cells to developing novel approaches to 3d molecular structure determination to understanding how viruses hijack a cell's machinery and alter its metabolome, the researchers in biochemistry and molecular genetics (bmg) are at the forefronts of their fields both conceptually and technologically.

why work for the university? we have amazing benefits and offer exceptional amounts of holiday, vacation and sick leave! The university of colorado offers an excellent benefits package including:

• medical: multiple plan options
• dental: multiple plan options
• additional insurance: disability, life, vision
• retirement 401(a) plan: employer contributes 10% of your gross pay
• paid time off: accruals over the year (based on percentage of time)
• vacation days: 22/year (maximum accrual 352 hours)
• sick days: 15/year (unlimited maximum accrual)
• holiday days: 11/year
• tuition benefit: employees have access to this benefit on all cu campuses
• eco pass: reduced rate rtd bus and light rail service
• there are many additional perks & programs with the cu advantage.

qualifications:

minimum qualifications: applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

• master's degree in biology, molecular biology, chemistry, genetics or related field
• prior experience or background within an experimental or wet lab
• prior experience in cryo-et

preferred qualifications:

• phd degree in biological sciences, computational disciplines, or a related field within the last three years.
• record of productivity supported by peer-reviewed publications in internationally recognized journals

knowledge, skills and abilities:

• strong background in structural biology, with hands-on experience in cryo-em sample preparation, data collection, and processing; cryo-et experience is a major plus given the goals of this role
• comfortable working…