Biophysical Scientist

The Fountain Group; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

The Fountain Group is seeking a Biophysical Scientist for a 6-month contract in Boston, MA. The role focuses on the development and execution of biochemical and biophysical assays to support high-throughput screening and medicinal chemistry efforts.

The position resides in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Group within the Department of Pharmacology. Independent work after training is expected, with collaboration for non-routine experiments and data interpretation.

Qualifications

• BS/BA degree in biochemistry/biophysics or related field with 1–5 years industry experience, or MS with 2+ years in assay development or profiling.
• Knowledge of biochemistry/biophysics and molecular biology.
• Experience with basic biochemical/biophysical techniques.
• Willingness to learn new methodologies and work as part of a team.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and/or run quantitative biochemical and biophysical assays to support ligand identification, characterization, and optimization.
• Conduct studies to elucidate modes of ligand interaction and action on target proteins.

Skills

Biochemistry

Biophysics

Molecular biology

Data analysis

Team player

Excellent communication

Education

BS/BA in Biochemistry or Biophysics

MS in Biochemistry or Biophysics

Tools

Spotfire

GraphPad Prism

Echo

Bravo

Biomek

Hamilton

Job description

Currently we have an opening for a Biophysical Scientist located in Boston, MA. Details for the position are as follows.

Pay Range: $46-$56/hour

Job Description

• 6-month contract with the possibility of extending or converting to permanent based on performance and budget.
• This is an exciting opportunity in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Group within the Department of Pharmacology.
• The day-to-day work is primarily lab-based, involving routine assay execution, data analysis, documentation, troubleshooting, and communication of unusual results to the team.
• The candidate should be fairly independent after training, but collaboration will be needed for less routine experiments or troubleshooting.
• Helpful software experience includes TIBCO Spotfire and GraphPad Prism; other Client-specific tools can be trained.
• The biophysics group is relatively small, about 12 people, within a larger Boston department of around 95 people and a global department of roughly 350-400 people.

Responsibilities

• Develop and/or run quantitative biochemical and biophysical assays to support identification, characterization, and optimization of small molecule ligands from high throughput screening campaigns and medicinal chemistry efforts.
• Conduct biochemical and biophysical studies to elucidate the modes of ligand interaction and mechanisms of action on target proteins.

Basic Qualifications

• BS/BA degree in biochemistry, biophysics or a related discipline with a minimum of 1-5 years industry experience; or a MS degree in biochemistry, biophysics or a related discipline with 2 or more years of industry experience, preferably with a focus on assay development and compound profiling within a drug discovery environment.
• Candidate should have basic knowledge of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology
• Candidate should have prior experience with basic biochemical and/or biophysical techniques
• Candidate should be highly motivated, driven, and willing to take the initiative to learn new scientific methodologies
• Candidate should be a strong team player
• Candidate should have excellent oral and written communication skills
• Candidate should be comfortable using a PC computer and proficient in Windows-based operating systems and basic applications for data analysis, such as spreadsheets and databases

Preferred Attributes

• Proven ability to independently design, develop and implement biochemical and biophysical screening assays using detection modalities such as: TR-FRET, FP, LC-MS, radiochemical, surface plasmon resonance (BIAcore), fluorescence-based thermal shift (TdF), and/or isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC).
• Hands-on experience performing steady-state and transient-state kinetic experiments to study enzymes and inhibitors.
• Experience in the use of automated liquid handlers such as Echo, Bravo, Biomek, or Hamilton and data analysis and presentation software such as TIBCO Spotfire, Excel and PowerPoint.