Postdoctoral Researcher – Protein Engineering for Critical Mineral Recovery

About the role

The RRES Center at NLR has an opening for a full time Postdoctoral Researcher within the Synthetic Biology and Bioconversion group. The initial appointment is for one year, with possible renewal up to three years. The successful candidate will utilize biochemistry and enzyme/protein engineering approaches to develop enzyme- and protein-based systems for critical mineral recovery. The scientific scope of this position will span from foundational discoveries to industry-led scale-up.

Responsibilities

• Work safely and independently in a laboratory setting
• Plan, execute, and troubleshoot research
• Collaborate effectively with others within and across disciplines
• Communicate scientific results effectively, both in written and oral formats
• Author peer-reviewed publications

Basic Qualifications

• Must be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years
• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date

Additional Required Qualifications

• Strong understanding of bioinorganic chemistry
• Robust experience with cloning, expression, and purification of proteins
• Experience in enzyme/protein engineering or evolution
• Strong safety record
• Ability to deliver high-quality results within aggressive timelines
• Strong communication skills
• Strong creative and critical thinking skills to problem solve
• Strong organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Biochemistry, Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Molecular Biology, or closely related field
• Experience programming and utilizing automated liquid handlers
• Experience working with metalloproteins
• Experience programming in R or Python
• Experience working successfully in multi-disciplinary teams

Pay

Annual Salary Range: $76,600 - $126,400 (based on full-time 40 hours per week). NLR takes into consideration a candidate's education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee's salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Pension benefits
• 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match
• Life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance
• Personal time off (PTO) and sick leave
• Paid holidays
• Potential for performance-, merit-, and achievement-based awards that include a monetary component
• Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement