Protein Core Director Position at Duke University

Instruct-ERIC; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Duke University in Durham, NC seeks a Director of the Protein Design and Analysis Core to lead a multidisciplinary facility focused on de novo protein design, engineering, characterization, and structural analysis.

The role demands expertise in computational protein design, structural biology, and biophysical methods, with strong management skills to run a high‑throughput, service‑oriented core. Applicants should have a Ph.D. and extensive leadership experience.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry or related field with 8–10 years post‑doc/industry experience.
• 3–5 years in a leadership or supervisory role.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific and operational leadership for a protein design/core facility.
• Oversee a team of scientists, engineers, and staff and manage multi‑stakeholder projects.
• Collaborate with internal programs and external partners on structural biology work.

Skills

Protein design

Structural biology

Biophysical characterization

Leadership

Education

Ph.D. in Biochemistry or related field

Tools

Rosetta

AlphaFold

ESMFold

Python scripting

Job description

Jobs in Structural Biology and Related Fields

Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, United States

Duke University is hiring a protein core director position.

Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology

The Director of the Protein Design and Analysis Core provides visionary scientific and operational leadership for a multidisciplinary core facility dedicated to the de novo design, engineering, characterization, and structural analysis of proteins. The Director oversees a team of scientists, engineers, and technical staff, and serves as a strategic partner to internal research programs and external collaborators. This role demands expertise at the intersection of computational protein design, structural biology, and biophysical characterization, combined with the management acumen to operate a high-throughput, service-oriented research core.

Qualified candidates will have a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Structural Biology, Biophysics, Computational Biology, Bioengineering, or a closely related field with a minimum of 8–10 years of post-doctoral research or industry experience, with at least 3–5 years in a leadership or supervisory role.

Demonstrated deep expertise in protein expression systems (bacterial, mammalian, insect), purification, and quality control is essential as well as a strong command of biophysical characterization techniques (SPR, ITC, SEC-MALS, CD, DLS, HDX-MS). Proficiency in structural biology methods (X-ray crystallography and/or cryo-EM) and associated software pipelines is required, with hands‑on experience with computational protein design platforms (Rosetta, AlphaFold, ESMFold, or equivalent) and relevant scripting languages (Python, PyMOL scripting, etc.).

Highly qualified candidates will have a proven track record of scientific productivity evidenced by peer‑reviewed publications in high‑impact journals, with demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi‑stakeholder projects and lead interdisciplinary teams.

Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please note that Duke will specifically seek information about past misconduct or policy violations (in the past ten (10) years) and/or relevant pending investigations as part of the application process. Disclosures will not be an automatic bar to hiring but, instead, will initiate further dialogue regarding past actions and steps taken to address them. Disclosures will not be shared with search committees during the application review process.

Important Dates: Review of applications will begin September 20 th , 2026.