Senior Researcher - Talbot Laboratory, Department of Surgery and Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cell Therapy

Join Our Team!

 The Talbot laboratory, embedded within the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cell Therapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, is seeking to hire a dedicated Senior Researcher for an active opportunity. Our laboratory is part of a larger team of collaborative scientists within the Departments of Surgery and BMTCT with the ultimate goal of improving T-cell based immunotherapy targeting solid tumors and a focus on clinically translatable processes and results. The Talbot laboratory is specifically focused on driving homing of immune cells towards target pediatric tumors by expression of canonical and modified transgenic chemokine receptors. 

The successful candidate will work on multiple research projects independently by participating in experimental design with the PI and Laboratory Manager, conducting experiments, troubleshooting results, synthesizing data for analysis, maintaining datasets and records, and contributing to manuscripts and grant proposals. Specific duties will include aseptic tissue culture of human and murine cells, flow cytometry, bench techniques including ELISA, cloning, viral transduction, etc, as well as in vivo work specifically including surgical assistance.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual with an interest in immunotherapy and basic immunology who seeks a work environment in which he/she has the opportunity to drive forward projects independently within the scope of the PI’s overall research umbrella. Active questioning, hypothesis generation, and scientific curiosity are particularly encouraged. Applicants with experience in murine handling, treatment, and experimental utilization, wet bench basic techniques including ELISA, restriction and primer based cloning strategies, and human/murine tissue culture will be preferred. An additional qualification which will be considered favorably is multicolor flow cytometry, but this is not absolutely required. The right applicant, even if he/she does not currently possess all the skills mentioned below, will have the opportunity to receive on-the-job training in these areas, and should feel free to apply.

Job responsibilities:

• Aseptic tissue culture and experimentation: human tumor and immune cell culture, viral transduction, cell expansion, counting, and freezing, isolation of cells from blood and bone marrow samples

• Functional analysis and characterization of T cells: e.g., ELISA, multiplex analysis, flow cytometry, cytotoxicity assays

• Molecular and cellular biology techniques: DNA/RNA extraction, PCR

• Health checks, minor procedures such as retro-orbital injection or bleeding, intraperitoneal injection, IVIS imaging, ear tagging, survival surgery assistance including anesthesia, prepping, and coordination with ARC regarding postoperative monitoring, surgical supply monitoring and maintenance, necropsy with tissue recovery

• Data analysis, lab meeting presentations, manuscript and grant support

• Accurate lab notebook maintenance and record keeping

• Assisting in day-to-day lab maintenance and operations including equipment maintenance, supply monitoring and ordering, and overall departmental lab support with high attention to detail

Senior Researcher
Minimum Education and/or Training:

• Bachelor's degree in relevant scientific area is required.

Minimum Experience:

• Two (2) years of relevant, post-degree work experience is required.

• No experience is required with a Master's degree.

  

Compensation

In recognition of certain U.S. state and municipal pay transparency laws, St. Jude is including a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This is an estimate offered in good faith and a specific salary offer takes into account factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the salary range and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $60,320 - $105,040 per year for the role of S