Lead or Senior Researcher - Babu Lab

Performs a variety of basic laboratory research tasks determined by the field and scope of the particular research project/study. Performs tasks related to the research project independently, but within specific guidelines which are subject to review by supervisor and/or other research staff.

Overview

As a part of the Center of Excellence for Data-Driven Discovery in the Department of Structural Biology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Babu Group seeks a highly driven, full-time experimental Senior or Lead Researcher with a strong background in molecular biology and mammalian cell culture techniques to support the G Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) Collaborative. The GPCR Collaborative is a recently established St Jude-funded national collaborative between six leading GPCR biology and pharmacology experts to reveal the molecular determinants and fidelity of GPCR signaling in health and disease. The goal of the Collaborative is to gain fundamentally new insights into GPCR physiology using state-of-the-art technologies that shift focus from time-averaged, ensemble investigations towards understanding the properties and functions of single molecules and assemblies in space and time. This goal will be accomplished by leveraging the different expertise of the Collaborative members:

M. Madan Babu, Member, Dept. of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Scott Blanchard, Member, Dept. of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Jonathan Javitch, Professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Columbia University & NY State Psychiatric Institute

Robert Lefkowitz, Chancellor's Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Duke University

Georgios Skiniotis, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University

Alice Ting, Professor of Genetics, Biology, and Chemistry, Stanford University

The Babu Group uses data-driven approaches to understand sequence-function relationships in intrinsically disordered proteins and structure-function relationships in medicinally important structured protein families such as GPCRs and Kinases, respectively. The Researcher/Senior Researcher will design and carry out experiments aimed at understanding mechanisms of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling in human physiology and disease to develop novel therapeutic strategies. Work from our group has revealed insights into signaling mechanisms linking the ligand-binding pocket in receptors (Nature 2013) to activation-dependent conformational changes (Nature 2016), the selective binding of G proteins (Nature 2017), and the allosteric activation mechanism of G proteins (Nature 2015). We have demonstrated that GPCR isoforms diversify signaling responses in different human tissues (Nature 2020) and that GPCRs are highly variable in the human population, contributing to variable drug responses and posing an economic burden on healthcare systems (Cell 2018).

This is a support role. The successful candidate will be a fast learner who can operate independently with care and confidence to support day-to-day experimental efforts in the Group. This role is appropriate for a candidate holding a Master’s degree and varying degrees of experience, up to a recent PhD. They will provide research support, perform experiments with guidance, and oversee supply inventorying, ordering, and receiving. Successful candidates will have experience making media preparations, performing standard molecular cloning procedures, and handling mammalian cell lines. Excellent organization and communication skills are required to document experimental observations, present results, and coordinate materials for multiple experimentalists in the group. A large component of the weekly responsibilities will be 1) maintaining mammalian cell cult