Biological Scientist

Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations nationally and abroad. With experts in biomedical science, software engineering, and program management, we focus on developing and applying research tools and techniques to empower decision-making and accelerate research discoveries. We work with some of the top research organizations and facilities in the country including multiple institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Axle is seeking a Biological Scientist to join our vibrant team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supporting the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases located in Bethesda, MD.

• Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
• 401K match up to 5%
• Educational Benefits for Career Growth
• Employee Referral Bonus
• Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Healthcare (FSA)
  • Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK)
  • Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP)
  • Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)

PhD in Biology or a related field is required.

Biology

Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint Prism Flow Jo

Minimum of 2+ years or experience with manufacturing/clinical trials is required.

Provide reports - Ad-Hoc

• Coordinate intake and prioritization of Structural Biology Core (SBC) requests from VRC cores and sections for structural characterization of viral proteins, immunogens, or vaccine-elicited antibodies, triaging targets based on program timelines, and maintaining a shared tracking log of active structural targets and their status.
  
  - 1
• Coordinate handoffs across the SBC structural biology pipeline (construct design, expression, purification, QC, structural data collection, structure refinement/analysis), tracking timelines at each stage, flagging bottlenecks to SBC leadership and relevant VRC labs, and facilitating scheduling of shared structural biology resources and instrumentation (e.g., cryo-EM time, crystallization robots) across concurrent projects requested by multiple cores.
  
  - 2
• Serve as point of contact between the Structural Biology Core and other VRC cores and sections to relay structural findings (e.g., epitope mapping, antigenicity/antibody complex structures) that inform immunogen design iterations or manufacturing decisions and prepare structural summary reports and figures for internal review meetings and regulatory-facing documentation.
  
  - 3
• Maintain records of solved structures, deposition status (e.g., PDB submissions), and associated metadata for internal reference and manuscript preparation, and track material transfer and reagent-sharing agreements related to structural biology reagents (e.g., purified antigens, Fab fragments) distributed across collaborating VRC and external labs.
  
  - 4
• Compile structural biology progress updates for inclusion in SBC joint meetings with VRC labs, program milestone reports, and regulatory nonclinical summaries.
  
  - 5

Provides technical experience needed to assist in studying the basic principles of plant and animal life

Determine and analyze three-dimensional structures of HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins and antibodies, with or without additional ligands.

Express and purify or coordinate distribution of purified proteins from eukaryotic expression systems.

Perform or coordinate immunogenicity studies in small animals (from protein design to production to biochemical and physical analysis to immunogenicity in animals to neutralization of immunized sera).

Maintain laboratory stocks of VPP reagents used for research and animal studies (prepare aliquots, track inventory, and…