LAB RESEARCH ANALYST I

This Position is Grant Funded

School of Medicine 

Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation's top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe. Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine along with the Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Health System comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

LAB RESEARCH ANALYST I

Division of Structural Biology – Duke Human Vaccine Institute

Be You.

The primary responsibilities of the position will be to perform structural, biochemical and biophysical studies on proteins involved in viral entry.  

Minimum Requirements:

A Bachelor’s degree in biology or other related scientific field. Work requires a minimum of two years of laboratory experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

N/A

Be Bold.

Position Description:  

Protein production and purification:

• Prepare culture media, chemicals, reagents and solutions. 
• Monitor and maintain inventory of reagents for cell culture, protein production and purification. 
• Perform mammalian cell culture, maintain and passage cells, prepare cells for transfections, assist in the scheduling of weekly transfections, perform transfections. 
• Assist in the management of the tissue culture facilities, including but not limited to the biosafety cabinets, cell counters and centrifuges. 
• Perform expression of proteins in commonly used systems (E coli, insect, mammalian) for structural, biochemical and biophysical studies. 
• Perform purifications that involve typical methodologies (IEX, SEC) and may occasionally involve the generation of specialized media for affinity chromatography. 
• Develop new methods for protein expression, purification and analysis. 

Biochemistry and biophysics: 

• Measure interaction between biomolecules using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) or biolayer interferometry (BLI). 
• Measure protein stability using differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) and related techniques. 

Structural Biology: 

• Analyze structures using commonly used structural biology software, such as Pymol and Chimera. 
• Supplement reports on biochemical and biophysical studies with structural analysis. 
• Train, assist and supervise other lab members in data collection and processing. 

Lab Management: 

• Assist lab manager in day-to-day operations of the lab. 
• Take overall responsibility for lab orders and perform approver role at Buy@Duke for Division of Structural Biology. 
• Manage the following pieces of critical equipment, including regular maintenance and upkeep, user training, protocol, and method development: 
  • Akta FPLC purification systems 
  • Octet Red 384  

Plasmid and chemical inventory management: 

• Take responsibility for management and organization of lab plasmid inventory. 
• Take responsibility for checking and verifying sequences of all plasmids. 
• Take responsibility for monitoring and retrieving plasmids for weekly transfections. 
• Organize, monitor, and manage the lab chemical inventory. 
• Recommend, develop, implement and manage electronic databases for plasmid and chemical inventory. 

Training and supervision: 

• Assist, train and supervise lab members and visiting scientists in protein expression and purification techniques. 
• Assist, train and supervise lab members and visiting scientists with plasmid sequence analysis. 
• Assist, train and supervise lab members in the use of BLI and DSF. 
• Assist, train and supervise lab members in data recording and documentation best practices. 

Others:

• Maintain laboratory notebook and other documentation in an orderly and accurate fashion for tracking work progress, experiments, and results. 
• Provide a summary of written work updates and plans each week. 
• Present research findings at group meetings and conferences, both within Duke and outside. 
• Actively participate in writing manuscripts, especially in creating compelling graphics. 
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Principal Investigator and laboratory leadership. 

Choose Duke.

Join our award-winning team and be part of an inclusive culture that values excellence, innovation, and discovery. Duke University is consistently ranked among the top universities worldwide and is renowned for its cutting-edge research across disciplines. Beyond the engaging work, you'll also benefit from Duke's competitive benefits package, including health insurance plans, generous paid time off, retirement programs with employer contributions, tuition assistance for employees and their children, and more.

Screening of Applications: Screening continues until the position is filled. For best consideration, apply by October 1, 2025.

Anticipated Pay Range:

Duke University provides an annual base salary range for this position as USD $51,448.00 to USD $77,945.00 Duke University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate 's work experience, education/training, and key skills; internal peer equity; as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.

Your total compensation goes beyond the dollars on your paycheck. Duke provides comprehensive and competitive medical and dental care programs, generous retirement benefits, and a wide array of family-friendly and cultural programs to eligible team members. Learn more at https://hr.duke.edu/benefits/

Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends onthe robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.