Postdoctoral Scholar - Plesa Lab

Department: Knight Campus
Rank: Postdoctoral Scholar
Annual Basis: 12 Month

Review of Applications Begins

June 10 2022; open until filled

Special Instructions to Applicants

Along with your online application please upload a CV and cover letter.

Department Summary

The Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact is a billiondollar initiative designed to fasttrack scientific discoveries and the process of turning those discoveries into innovations that improve the quality of life for people in Oregon the nation and beyond. The Knight Campus will reshape the higher education landscape in Oregon by training the next generations of scientists forging tighter ties with industry and entrepreneurs and creating new educational opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students.

Position Summary

The Plesa lab aims to accelerate the pace at which we understand and engineer biological systems particularly proteins. We are interested in uncovering the rules for the engineering of novel protein function particularly in the areas of sensing and interfacing with engineering. Towards this end we develop new technologies for gene synthesis multiplex functional assays invivo mutagenesis and genotypephenotype linkages. These allow us to both access the huge sequence diversity present in natural systems as well as carry out testing of rationally designed hypotheses encoded onto DNA at much larger scales than previously possible. Using these approaches we aim to quickly characterize and engineer entire protein families rather than focusing on individual proteins. Our work is highlyinterdisciplinary and touches on aspects from many fields including bioengineering protein engineering biochemistry synthetic biology molecular biology microbiology structural biology genetics bioinformatics and quantitative biology.

The postdoc will be responsible for conducting research and technical activities related to sponsored projects in the lab. Research work will include designing and optimizing a new antibody generation method using a largescale invivo proteinprotein interaction assay gene synthesis and invivo mutagenesis. Essential responsibilities will include designing and conducting experiments interpreting data writing manuscripts writing research proposals assembling and delivering research presentations locally and nationally assisting and training other researchers in the laboratory and maintaining laboratory equipment. This position will work closely with other lab researchers (students postdocs and technicians) and with Dr. Plesa. The position will be given a level of independence depending on the level of experience with the goal of becoming a fully independent researcher by the end of their term as guided by a formal mentoring plan.

For the purpose of acquiring additional professional skills needed to pursue a career path in the chosen field this position will have a formal mentor plan.

Minimum Requirements

Ph.D in bioengineering biochemistry biology biophysics physics chemistry bioinformatics chemical engineering or related disciplines

Professional Competencies

Candidates should have strong skills in the following areas:
Molecular biology techniques (cloning PCR DNA extraction gel electrophoresis);
Bacterial cell culture (E. coli);
Bioinformatic analysis of nextgen sequencing data (python R tidyverse awk BBTools etc.
Effective organizational and communication skills.
Demonstrated strong quantitative skills
Strong interest in developing new technologies to advance protein science

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in some of the following areas:
Preparation of NGS libraries
Multiplexed assays probing sequencefunction relationships (deep mutational scanning MPRAs...
Sequence analysis (phylogenetic tree generation multiple sequence alignment BLAST etc.

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