Lead Researcher Antibody Discovery

The Lead Researcher for Antibody Discovery performs a variety of basic laboratory research tasks determined by the field and scope of the particular research project / study within HMI.

Join an excellent team of researchers dedicated to coming closer to the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital that no child will die at the dawn of life. Antibody Discovery Collaborative Centre (ADCC) within the Department of Host Microbe Interactions e seeks a skilled and highly motivated protein sciences candidate with experience in gene‑to‑protein workflows. This role will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies that improve the efficiency, scalability, and fidelity of molecular biology processes ensuring that downstream teams receive high‑quality protein and biologics for discovery purposes.

Candidates with experience in protein engineering, expression, and validation of biologics are encouraged to apply. Masters degree in a relevant scientific area with proven performance in earlier role (3 years) OR PhD with suitable graduate training will be preferred.

• Work closely with mAb discovery platforms to support molecular biology workflows; design and execute construct generation for antibody expression.
• Perform DNA preparations to generate high‑quality plasmid material for mammalian cell transfection.
• Develop and optimize high‑throughput mammalian cell‑based production platforms for recombinant antibodies, antigens, and other biologics.
• Establish scalable transient and stable expression workflows in CHO, HEK
  293, and other mammalian expression systems.
• Purify proteins using AKTA chromatography systems.
• Conduct HPLC‑SEC analysis of purified proteins.
• Perform molecular assessment of early‑stage development candidates (polyreactivity ELISA, CE‑SDS, SEC‑MALS, DSF).
• Maintain accurate and timely ELN data.

• Experience with modern AKTA chromatography systems (FPLC) for affinity capture and SEC chromatography.
• Experience with high‑throughput automated protein purification systems (e.g., Kingfisher).
• Experience with antibody‑related bioinformatic/software packages.
• Expertise in high‑throughput molecular biology approaches for construct generation.
• Experience with mAb characterization techniques (FACS, BLI epitope binning).

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a world‑class research institution dedicated to pediatric cancer and other catastrophic diseases of childhood. It is a National Cancer Institute‑designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children and is consistently recognized as a top workplace in biopharma. It is located in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee, and offers a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary environment with access to state‑of‑the‑art facilities and funding.

• 5 years of research experience is required.
• 3 years of experience required with a Master’s degree.
• No prior experience required with a PhD.
• Strong knowledge and experience in the underlying principles related to the techniques performed.
• Experience in R&D methods and processes in a lab setting and execution of research projects preferred.
• Proven performance in a comparable earlier role.
• Eligibility for employees who transitioned into or were hired before 1/5/2025; the effective date of the Lab Research Career Path Refinements will be determined on a graduation‑based basis.

Reasonable estimate of the salary range for this role is $60,320 – $105,040 per year.

St. Jude is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. Please do not call or email. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee or other representative e via email, the internet, or in any manner without a valid written search agreement in place and approved by HR will result in no fee being paid if the candidate is hired.

• Intelligence Community Experience
• Python
• Spss
• Microsoft Word
• R
• Regression Analysis
• Windows
• Stata
• Microsoft Power Point
• Research Experience
• Data Modeling
• Writing Skills

Full‑Time

Memphis, Tennessee

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