Research Scientist

Research Scientist

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.

We seek a creative and technically rigorous Research Scientist to design, build, and deploy synthetic biology tools for engineering gut bacteria, with a focus on gut-brain axis diseases. The ideal candidate will be able to work independently throughout the process of designing and testing new therapeutic modalities.

• Engineer anaerobic bacterial protein expression systems. (15%)
• Design and build bacterial engineering tools to be deployed in the gut. (20%)
• Design and conduct in vitro and in vivo experiments to characterize and validate bacterial engineering tools across relevant disease models. (30%)
• Develop techniques to measure in vivo protein expression and activity (20%)
• Prepare research reports, drafts and presentations for internal meetings, publications, grant proposals and conferences. (15%)

• PhD in Biological Sciences.
• Detailed knowledge of synthetic biology and the gut microbiome.
• 5+ years of synthetic biology and microbiology experience.
• Strong experience with standard molecular biology technologies including plasmid design, PCR, DNA cloning, NGS, protein purification and analysis.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organized, self-directed, and execution oriented.

• Postdoctoral experience.
• Detailed knowledge of gut-brain interactions in health and disease contexts.
• Experience mentoring undergraduates or graduate students.
• Demonstrated track record of publications.
• Experience presenting at scientific meetings.

• Resume