POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE - Sanner Lab - Integrative Structural and Computational Biology
About Us
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 Calibr-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.
Position Summary
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 AutoDock Suite umbrella of automated docking software tools we have recently developed AutoDock CrankPep (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. 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. We're also working in integrating ADCP with AI methods such as AlphaFold which have emerged and effective peptide docking engines.
Responsibilities
- Extend the ADCP software code in the C, C++, and Python programming languages
- Test the implementation of the ADCP software
- Apply the ADCP software to biomedically relevant targets, often in collaboration with experimental biologists
- Work on integrating ADCP with AI methods like AlphaFold
Requirements
- Must possess a doctoral degree
- 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
- A pending doctoral degree may be considered with approval of the Principal Investigator
Compensation
Postdoctoral Associates will be hired following the National Institute of Health and California’s exempt salary guidelines, which provide for a starting range of $70,304- $75,353. Consideration will be given to experience that exceeds the listed requirements. Comprehensive Benefits Include Eligibility for retirement plans with employer contribution. Full suite of Health and Welfare plans including four medical plan options (including an HSA available option), dental, vision, life insurance, disability, EAP and more. Access to Dependent Flexible Spending Accounts. Paid Time Off - 5 days annually. Free, on-site Counseling Center which provides confidential counseling services to benefits-eligible employees. Free, on-site parking. Pet Insurance.