Senior Laboratory Research Scientist – Structural Biochemist

Contract: 2 yr FTC Full-time

Salary: From £44,360 with benefits, dependent on skills and experience

About us…  

The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world-class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions. 

To learn more about the Crick, click here.

About the role… 

The Enchev Lab is offering a unique opportunity to get involved in developing and applying methods for directly observing biochemical processes at atomic spatial and millisecond time resolution. Our work combines microfluidics devices to mix and incubate biochemical samples on sub-second timescales with rapid spray-plunge freezing for subsequent three-dimensional structure determination by time-resolved cryo-EM (trEM). By iterating this procedure at increasing incubation times and using machine learning-based approaches to map conformational landscapes, we generate time-lapse "movies" of biochemical binding and enzymatic reactions. 

This role will support academic and industry collaborations and early-stage proof-of-concept trEM studies. Team working and an open mind as to how other disciplines and technologies can advance our work are critical. 

What you will be doing… 

As an SLRS at the Crick, you will: 

Protein Expression and Purification  

• Design and generate protein expression constructs.  
• Express recombinant proteins using bacterial and insect cell systems.  
• Purify recombinant proteins using affinity, ion exchange, and size exclusion chromatography.  

Biochemical and Structural Characterization  

• Conduct quantitative biochemical binding and activity assays  
• Carry out standard as well as time-resolved cryo-EM sample preparation.  
• Independently perform single-particle cryo-EM screening and data collection.  
• Process single-particle cryo-EM datasets.  
• Perform model building into high-resolution cryo-EM maps. 

About you…  

The essential criteria you will bring… 

• PhD in biochemistry (or related fields) or equivalent experience 
• Practical experience with protein expression, purification and in vitro protein biochemistry 
• Theoretical and practical expertise in cryo-electron microscopy, single particle analysis and model building 
• Track record of writing papers as evidenced by preprints and/or publications in peer-reviewed journals 
• Ability to work flexibly, both independently and as part of a team 
• Evidence of data presentation at scientific meetings

To see the complete job description, click here.

For more about the lab, click here.

About Working at the Crick… 

Our values  

• We are bold. We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches. We’re not afraid to do things differently. 
• We are open. We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world. 
• We are collegial. We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and support the wider community. 

At the Crick we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to driving innovation and scientific discovery.

We are a Disability Confident employer. Please contact nicola.gyte@crick.ac.uk for assistance.

Read more about our EDI approach here.  

To apply, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above.

What will you receive?  

We value our team members and are proud to offer an extensive range of benefits to support their well-being and development. You can find out more here.

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