Postdoctoral Scholar - Siegel Lab

Position Overview

Salary range: $69,073 – $82,836. The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step at appointment.

Location:

Davis, CA.

The Siegel Lab seeks a highly motivated, independent Postdoctoral Scholar to lead the development of a next‑generation enzyme‑based electrochemical biosensor platform for metabolic health. The role involves adapting established sensor architectures to novel molecular detection in collaboration with an external industry partner currently operating in stealth. The successful candidate will focus on optimizing enzyme performance and sensor integration through AI‑driven evolution, genomic mining, protein design, and wet‑lab high‑throughput methodologies for validation.

This position bridges fundamental academic research with the rigorous delivery requirements of an industry research environment.

• Develop a sequence discovery and library generation pipeline combining AI‑based sequence design, traditional genomic mining, and computational enzyme design. Prioritize candidate variants for experimental evaluation and manage high‑throughput library generation.
• Establish a functional high‑throughput screening platform using plate‑based peroxide‑detecting assays. Evaluate enzyme activity, specificity, and stability under sensor‑relevant conditions to ensure signal fidelity.
• Conduct protein discovery and engineering to improve catalytic efficiency, substrate specificity, and stability within prototype architectures.
• Manage production and supply of enzyme preparations for prototype validation, providing 100 mg batches of lead candidates and 25 mg batches of new candidates within four weeks of request.
• Provide technical documentation and written reports; support partner validation, including shipment of enzyme lots and detailed performance feedback to support iterative manufacturing improvements.
• Mentor students and participate in manuscript and grant preparation; support general maintenance and lab operations.

• Curriculum Vitae
• Cover Letter (optional)
• Statement of Research
• Authorization to Release Information form
• Statement of Teaching (optional)

Reference requirements: 3–5 contacts (contact information only).

Apply link: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./JPF
07630

Help contact: cmgarcia

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state and federal law. The University of California, Davis requires legally authorized work in the United States and may require E‑Verify for certain positions.