Postdoctoral Fellow I (Antibody Engineering)

The Geneva Foundation; Silver Spring (MD); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Flexible Spending Account

Health Savings Account with employer</

Long-term disability and life/ADD보험

Job summary

The Geneva Foundation invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow/Consultant to advance next-generation prophylactics by designing, expressing, purifying, and characterizing antibodies, scFvs, and BS-scFvs. You will bridge AI-driven design with hands-on wet-lab work in a collaborative translational vaccinology program.

Responsibilities include computational antibody design, recombinant protein expression in mammalian and bacterial systems, purification by chromatography, and

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, or related field.
• Extensive recombinant protein expression in mammalian and bacterial systems; purification (IMAC/SEC/IEX) and QC (SDS-PAGE, Western)
• Strong communication, meticulous record-keeping, and ability to work independently in a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience with computational protein engineering suites preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design proteins using AI/ML platforms (e.g., AlphaFold3, RFdiffusion, Rosetta).
• Express and purify recombinant proteins in mammalian and bacterial systems.
• Characterize proteins biophysically/biochemically (ELISA, BLI/SPR).
• Manage collaboration and reporting; analyze datasets and draft updates/reports.

Skills

Computational design

Protein expression

Protein purification

Biophysical characterization

Project management

Scientific writing

Education

Ph.D. in Biochemistry/Biophysics/Molecular Biology/Bioengineering

Tools

AlphaFold3

RFdiffusion

Rosetta

PROSS

PROscan

PyMOL

BLI/SPR

Job description

About the Position

We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled Postdoctoral Fellow/Consultant to support the Principal Investigator, Co-Investigators, and research staff in the development and evaluation of next-generation prophylactics. The successful candidate will conduct proof-of-concept studies involving the design, expression, purification, and characterization of antibodies, single-chain variable fragments (scFvs), and bispecific scFvs (BS-scFvs) targeting key vaccine candidates. This position offers an exceptional opportunity to work at the intersection of computational protein design, structural biology, artificial intelligence, and translational vaccinology within a highly collaborative research environment. The candidate will bridge computational approaches with hands-on wet-laboratory research and contribute to the advancement of novel prophylactic strategies. In addition to laboratory and research responsibilities, the Postdoctoral Fellow/Consultant will assist with overall project execution, including ensuring enrollment targets are met when applicable, maintaining protocol adherence, supporting monitoring visits, overseeing regulatory and administrative requirements, assisting with data management, and providing project close-out support. The successful candidate will work closely with investigators and research staff to ensure scientific, operational, and regulatory objectives are achieved.

Work Authorization Requirement: Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or otherwise authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.

Key Responsibilities

• 1. Computational Antibody & Protein Design: Use machine-learning/AI platforms including AlphaFold3, RFdiffusion, ThermoMPNN, Rosetta, PROSS, PRoscan, PyMOL.
• 2. Recombinant Protein Expression & Purification: Express proteins in mammalian expression system, Escherichia coli or alternative expression hosts. Perform protein purification using chromatography platforms (FPLC, affinity, size-exclusion chromatography).
• 3. Biophysical & Biochemical Characterization: Evaluate the purity, yield, and structural integrity of protein molecules, conduct ELISA, Biolayer Interferometry to benchmark candidate molecules.
• 4. Project Management, Collaboration & Reporting: Analyze, interpret, and integrate biochemical/biophysical datasets with downstream biological assay results generated by partners. Draft technical updates and final comprehensive reports for the project sponsor.

Required Qualifications

Education: Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, or a closely related scientific discipline.

Wet-Lab Experience: Expertise in recombinant protein expression mammalian and bacterial systems. Extensive experience in protein purification (IMAC, SEC, IEX) and quality control (SDS-PAGE, Western blot, HPLC). Demonstrated familiarity with structural and biophysical characterization techniques, particularly BLI/SPR.

Skills: Excellent communication, meticulous record-keeping, and the ability to work independently within a multidisciplinary, collaborative team environment.

Preferred Qualifications Computational Skills: Direct experience using computational protein engineering suites.

About Geneva

As a leader in military medical research, at Geneva, our professionals develop critical solutions – and build rewarding careers.

Our team of more than 400 employees across the world joins forces with some of the world’s leading researchers and innovators, who are committed to the advancement of military medicine worldwide.

Transforming Military Medicine to Save Lives Worldwide Geneva is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that advances military medicine through research, development, and education as we pursue our purpose to ensure optimal health for service members and the communities they serve.

The Geneva Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.

Benefits

• Our benefits package includes financial rewards that are a significant part of the employee's total rewards compensation package.
• Geneva's highly competitive benefits include medical, dental, and vision healthcare, Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings account, with employer contribution.
• Coverage is provided for employees and family members including domestic partners.
• Short-and long-term disability, Employee Assistance Program, Life & ADD insurance, 403b retirement plan with generous employer match, flexible leave options, 11 paid holidays per year, and up to 4 weeks of paid time off in a rolling year.
• Employees may qualify for PSLF as Geneva is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
• Full time positions come with all benefits.
• Part time and intermittent positions may vary.