Wet Lab Protein Engineer

Scientist Or Engineer

Biological systems excel at building durable materials capable of withstanding environmental stress. Our biomaterials research translates these natural processes into scalable, high-performance industrial solutions.

We are hiring a Scientist or Engineer to advance key protein and strain engineering initiatives in support of the Biomaterials Branch within the Foundational Technologies Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory. The successful candidate will conduct basic and applied research to discover, optimize, and scale enzymes for varied environments, utilizing model and non-model organisms. Key responsibilities include applying modern genetic manipulation techniques and high-throughput screening to isolate candidate proteins and develop host strains.

As part of an integrated, cross-functional team, you will collaborate with computational and experimental scientists to engineer biomolecules for the biomanufacturing of precursors, ceramic materials, and other advanced materials.

A successful candidate will have experience in several of the areas below, with knowledge of how-to best interface with experts in areas they are less proficient in. Teaming and collaboration are critical for the role.

• Enzyme Prospecting & Optimization:
  Rational design, directed evolution, and semi-rational mutagenesis to tailor enzymatic activity and stability under diverse environmental conditions (e.g., pH, temperature, non-aqueous solvents).
• Structure-Function Characterization:
  Biochemical assay development, enzyme kinetics, and protein characterization to validate target functionality.
• Structure-Based Design:
  Familiarity with computational tools (e.g., Alpha Fold, Rosetta) to guide engineering efforts for novel enzymatic pathways.

• Genetic Tool Development:
  Designing and executing molecular biology protocols including plasmid construction, cloning (Gibson, Golden Gate, Gateway, etc) recombinant expression, CRISPR/gene editing, nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) extraction, and target manipulation, as needed.
• Metabolic Pathway Engineering:
  Designing and tuning metabolic pathways to biosynthesize precursor molecules, complex hydrocarbons, and material monomers.
• High-Throughput Screening (HTS):
  Designing microplate-based assays, microfluidic workflows, or FACS-based screens to rapidly profile host and enzyme performance.

• Biomanufacturing Optimization:
  Fermentation, scale-up principles, and cultivation strategies tailored to diverse target host systems.

• Bioinformatics & Data Integration:
  Collaborating with computational scientists to leverage omics data, predictive modeling, and sequence-function relationships.
• Cross-Functional Execution:
  Translating bench-level discoveries into applied biomanufacturing workflows within a multidisciplinary laboratory environment.

• U.S. Citizenship is required due to government facility access requirements.
• Education:
  
  Ph.D. in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering Biophysics, or a related field. (Candidates with an M.S. and 4+ years of high-throughput engineering will be considered).
• Technical
  
  Experience:
• Protein Engineering:
  Design, optimize, and characterize proteins and biologics using state-of-the-art molecular biology and high-throughput screening techniques. Collaborate cross-functionally to translate engineered proteins into robust, scalable solutions for real-world applications. Demonstrated proficiency in core molecular biology techniques (plasmid construction/cloning, nucleic acid isolation, PCR/qPCR, etc).
• Proved proficiency in protein expression and purification.
• Strong quantitative analysis and experimental troubleshooting capabilities.

Candidates may not possess all of these qualifications; it is expected that they will have experience in some, but not necessarily all, of the listed areas.

• Automation/High-Throughput Screening:
  Experience with high-throughput liquid handling robots or automated screening workflows. Demonstrated experience developing and running robust selection/screening assays (e.g., yeast/phage display, plate-based fluorescence, or cell-free translation systems).
• Bio-Interfacial Modeling:
  Knowledge of how proteins behave when tethered to solid surfaces (e.g., resin or silica).
• Library Generation:
  Hands-on expertise in library construction (e.g., Golden Gate cloning, Gibson Assembly, site-saturation mutagenesis, error-prone PCR).
• Protein Purification:
  Familiarity with affinity tag based recombinant protein purification using an FPLC.
• Mentorship:
  Demonstrated ability to mentor junior laboratory members and manage multiple concurrent projects.
• Fermentation Knowledge:
  Familiarity with bioreactor operation modes during scale-up.

ITAR Requirement:

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International…