Protein Biochemist/Structural Biologist (Scientist / Senior Scientist, dependent on experience)

OMass Therapeutics is an early stage drug discovery company specialized in applying state of the art biophysical platform technologies to discover therapies for severe unmet medical needs in immunology and genetically defined disorders. The company was founded by Professor Dame Carol Robinson to leverage her pioneering work in native mass spectrometry, in studies of dynamic protein assemblies, to characterise challenging drug targets including membrane proteins. The high resolution of our biophysical platform offers an unprecedented advantage in the detection of drug leads.

The company vision is to build an integrated drug discovery company, with biophysical platform technologies at its core, and develop a pipeline of novel therapies. Our ambition is to develop and ultimately commercialise our products.

Following successful Series A funding, the company is expanding significantly in different areas. This is an excellent time to join a dynamic growing company.

OMass Therapeutics is inviting applications for the position of Protein Biochemist/Structural Biologist (Scientist / Senior Scientist, dependent on experience) to work within the Protein Biochemistry and Structural Biology team focused on the expression and purification of membrane proteins for drug discovery. The company offers a thriving and creative environment for a well-suited candidate to become an integral part of our future vision.

The successful candidate will possess extensive experience in membrane protein expression and purification. Experience in handling protein samples and characterising expression levels and activity is key. The role is exclusively research based and as such, the ability to problem solve and develop innovative solutions within projects is a key attribute required for the role.

The role is based in our Oxford site.

Applications to be received by 6th August 2020

Qualifications
• A PhD or equivalent in a relevant area of biology
• Experience in a variety of molecular biology and cell culture techniques
• Experience in membrane protein expression methods in mammalian and insect cells
• Experience in membrane protein purification
• Experience state-of-the-art structural biology techniques including crystallography and cryo-EM structure determination
• Analytical thinking and good problem-solving skills to overcome technical issues
• Excellent organizational and time management skills as well as the ability to work to strict deadlines
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to work flexibly within a team as well as being highly self-motivated and work independently

Role Responsibilities
• Cloning of membrane protein plasmid constructs and expression in insect and mammalian cells using a variety of transfection and infection methods
• Characterization of expression levels in membrane and in solubilised form using binding assays
• Characterization of protein stability in solubilised form using a variety of biochemical and biophysical techniques to inform purification process
• Construct engineering to optimise expression and monodispersity of membrane proteins
• Optimisation of solubilisation conditions to maximise membrane protein stability
• Purification of membrane proteins and biochemical/biophysical characterisation using a range of analytical techniques to provide high quality protein for different downstream applications including MS analysis and structure determination
• Work with external collaborators to access facilities for structure determination and solve
• Work closely with mass spec scientists, medicinal chemists, and pharmacologists to help advance different projects
• Maintain detailed laboratory records and keep up to date with relevant literature

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: Competitive salary and comprehensive employee benefits