Postdoctoral Associate - Sanner Lab - Integrative Structural and Computational Biology

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Scripps Research is a nonprofit biomedical institute ranked as one of the most influential in the world for its impact on innovation. We celebrated our 100‑year legacy in 2024. This significant milestone marks a century of seminal discoveries in immunology, infectious diseases (such as COVID‑19, flu, HIV), neuroscience, heart disease, cancer, and more. Located in La Jolla, California, the institute houses six research departments, multiple Nobel laureates, a top‑ranked graduate school and a leading postdoctoral training program.

Scripps Research encompasses two elite and highly innovative institutes, the Cali ‑Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicines and Scripps Research Translational Institute, which merge foundational studies in biology, chemistry and computer science with translational science to produce pioneering drugs and advances in digital and precision medicine. Together, we cultivate new scientific leaders and expand the frontiers of knowledge to deliver medical breakthroughs impacting human health around the globe.

If you have a passion for making a difference, this could be your opportunity to join our transformative team.

Postdoctoral Associate

The Sanner lab is part of the Center for Computational Structural Biology (CCSB) at Scripps where we develop cutting‑edge software for modeling, analyzing, and visualizing molecular interactions which we make available to the worldwide research community. Under the Auto Dock Suite umbrella of automated docking software tools we have recently developed Auto Dock Crank Pep (ADCP in short), a docking engine specifically designed for ab‑initio docking of fully flexible peptides.

We are seeking a highly motivated and talented individual interested in method development in automated docking and their application to biomedically relevant drug discovery efforts. The successful candidate will join a lab integrated in the highly collaborative CCSB center and continue developing the ADCP software and apply it to biomedically relevant targets. Postdoctoral appointees at Scripps Research are valued for their unique interests and strengths as they conduct their studies alongside over 200 internationally renowned faculty.

Postdocs are supported by specialized programming from the institute’s Career and Professional Development Office. We see career and professional development as integral to advanced research training for PhD and postdocs, and we provide tailored resources for crafting high‑quality manuscripts and grant proposals, planning for your career, and developing your professional skills. Our International Services Office offers expert support for our international scholars, who come to Scripps Research from around the world with a passion and commitment to improving human health.

The position involves extending the ADCP software code in the C, C++, and Python programming languages, testing the implementation and applying the software to biomedically relevant targets, mostly in the context of collaborations with experimental biologists. It also includes working in integrating ADCP with AI methods such as Alpha Fold which have emerged and effective peptide docking engines. Candidates holding a PhD in biophysics, or Computer Science with a keen interest in structural biology and biomedical research, or those with PhD/MD in biomedical sciences with substantial experience in scientific programming are encouraged to apply for the position.

Candidates interested in combining computational work with wet‑lab work are also welcome and could work part‑time in collaborators laboratories. Experience in machine learning and deep learning is a plus. Must possess a doctoral degree. A pending doctoral degree may be considered with approval of the Principal Investigator. This position works in an office environment. Further details of the physical requirements of established essential functions for this position will be addressed/discussed during the interview process.

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