RESEARCH SCHOLAR

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.

About the role

The Research Scholar role will serve as the Director of the Protein Design and Analysis Core, providing visionary scientific and operational leadership for a multidisciplinary core facility dedicated to the de novo design, engineering, characterization, and structural analysis of proteins. The Director oversees a team of scientists, engineers, and technical staff, and serves as a strategic partner to internal research programs and external collaborators. This role demands expertise at the intersection of computational protein design, structural biology, and biophysical characterization, combined with the management acumen to operate a high-throughput, service-oriented research core.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Structural Biology, Biophysics, Computational Biology, Bioengineering, or a closely related field
• Minimum of 8–10 years of post-doctoral research or industry experience
• At least 3–5 years in a leadership or supervisory role
• Demonstrated deep expertise in protein expression systems (bacterial, mammalian, insect), purification, and quality control
• Strong command of biophysical characterization techniques (SPR, ITC, SEC-MALS, CD, DLS, HDX-MS)
• Proficiency in structural biology methods (X-ray crystallography and/or cryo-EM) and associated software pipelines
• Hands-on experience with computational protein design platforms (Rosetta, AlphaFold, ESMFold, or equivalent) and relevant scripting languages (Python, PyMOL scripting, etc.)

Qualifications

• Proven track record of scientific productivity evidenced by peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects and lead interdisciplinary teams

Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Duke will specifically seek information about past misconduct or policy violations (in the past ten years) and/or relevant pending investigations as part of the application process. Disclosures will not be an automatic bar to hiring but will initiate further dialogue regarding past actions and steps taken to address them.