Postdoctoral Fellow – Antibody Engineering & Biophysics

This opportunity is offered through the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) and is based at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command - Walter Reed U.S. Army Institute of Research. It is a paid research appointment and not a government position.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled Postdoctoral Fellow to conduct proof-of-concept studies in developing next-generation prophylactics. The project will involve design, expression, and characterization of antibodies, single chain variable fragments (scFvs), and bispecific-scFvs (BS-scFvs)—targeting key vaccine candidates. The successful candidate will bridge computational protein design with hands-on wet-lab expression, purification, and biophysical characterization. This role offers an extraordinary opportunity at the intersection of structural biology, AI, and translational vaccinology within a highly collaborative research network.

Responsibilities

• Computational Antibody & Protein Design: Use machine-learning/AI platforms including AlphaFold3, RFdiffusion, ThermoMPNN, Rosetta, PROSS, PRoscan, PyMOL.
• Recombinant Protein Expression & Purification: Express proteins in mammalian expression systems, Escherichia coli, or alternative expression hosts. Perform protein purification using chromatography platforms (FPLC, affinity, size-exclusion chromatography).
• Biophysical & Biochemical Characterization: Evaluate the purity, yield, and structural integrity of protein molecules; conduct ELISA, Biolayer Interferometry to benchmark candidate molecules.
• Project Management, Collaboration & Reporting: Analyze, interpret, and integrate biochemical/biophysical datasets with downstream biological assay results generated by partners. Draft technical updates and final comprehensive reports for the project sponsor.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residency is required.
• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, or a closely related scientific discipline.
• Expertise in recombinant protein expression in mammalian and bacterial systems. Extensive experience in protein purification (IMAC, SEC, IEX) and quality control (SDS-PAGE, Western blot, HPLC). Demonstrated familiarity with structural and biophysical characterization techniques.
• Excellent communication, meticulous record-keeping, and the ability to work independently within a multidisciplinary, collaborative team environment.

Qualifications

Two reference letters preferred. The hiring committee is looking for candidates who can start as soon as possible.

Pay

$74,000–79,000 annually, pending qualifications. A health insurance stipend will be provided.