Cell Assay Senior Scientist - Blue Sky Kinases

Location

Memphis, TN

Category

Laboratory Sciences & Support

Department

Structural Biology

Shift

Weekday Day

Position Type

Full Time

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

JR7200

We are looking for an experienced cell biologist to participate in our exciting studies of the human protein kinome.

This Senior Scientist position is part of the Blue Sky Initiative “Seeing the Invisible in Protein Kinases” e Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN .

As a member of the Cell-Based Assays team, the candidate will use their molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell culture skills to perform research that translates novel insights regarding kinase structure and regulation in vitro into functional effects in cells. Additionally, the candidate will assist in performing cell-based analysis in high-, medium-, and low-throughput platforms of candidate inhibitors of kinases.

The work is diverse providing an opportunity to study multiple kinases, perform appropriate background research, optimize cell-based assays of various types using many different cell lines or primary cells. Not only are the cell-based studies used to validate the structural findings, but they are also used to discover new kinase-mediated biology or new mechanisms of kinase regulation.

The Blue Sky Initiative “Seeing the Invisible in Protein Kinases” is an inter-disciplinary project in the Department of Structural Biology and is supported by US $50 million in institutional funding. This large-scale project leverages ultra-high field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), complemented with cryoEM, X-ray crystallography, data-science and computational approaches, to characterize the conformational landscape of the human kinome. Knowledge of the conformations of kinases is then used to discover new biology regarding kinase function and regulation in cells, understand the structural and functional consequences of disease-associated mutations, and identify novel therapeutic opportunities.

Responsibilities
:

• Research kinase-mediated signaling pathways, kinase targets or kinase-dependent phosphorylation events, and cellular outcomes of such pathways for assigned kinase projects
• Identify appropriate cellular assays and cells to perform structure-guided analysis of kinase signaling output and cellular phenotypes related to structure-guided perturbations in kinase regulation or function
• Develop strategies and plans for implementing cell-based assays, including but not limited to evaluation of protein phosphorylation, protein interaction, protein localization, RNA abundance (qRT-PCR), protein ubiquitination, and protein abundance
• Develop strategies and plans for implementing cell-based phenotypic assays, including but not limited to viability, apoptosis, autophagy, migration, or differentiation
• Perform optimization and troubleshooting of cell-based assays
• Perform statistical analysis using graphing software or R scripts
• Interpret, analyze, and communicate cell-based assay results within the Cell-Based Assays team and with collaborators on specific kinase projects

Experience and Expertise:

• Experience in analysis of proteinkinases and phosphorylation-dependent signaling events or pathways.
• Expertise in culturing a variety of types of cells, such as cancer cell lines, primary cells, mouse embryo fibroblasts, inducible human pluripotent cells, immune cells, neuronal cells, and muscle cells.
• Expertise in multiple methods for exogenous protein expression.
• Proficiency in presentation of experimental design and results using PowerPoint or similar software.
• Experience with mouse models, preferred but not essential.

Technical Capabilities:

• Cloning, PCR, and qRT-PCR
• Sterile technique
• Cell transfection, transduction, or infection to…