Job Summary
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the largest institutes in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.
A postdoctoral fellowship position is available in the Bacterial Pathogenesis and Antimicrobial Resistance Section (BPARS), Division of Intramural Research, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, NIAID.
This position will offer a unique opportunity to study the structure and function of a resistance-nodulation-division (RND) class efflux pump involved in multidrug resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and related systems in other bacteria. This project is a collaboration between John P. Dekker, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of BPARS, and Susan K. Buchanan, Ph.D., Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The project aims to elucidate a recently discovered mechanism of antibiotic resistance and generate insights that will facilitate the development of efflux pump inhibitors. Access to home source X-ray facilities, two state-of-the-art NIH cryo-EM centers, and dedicated access to beamlines at the Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source (APS) facility are available.
Selected publications of the project's recent research are as follows:
* Structural basis for iron piracy by pathogenic Neisseria. Nature. 2012 Feb 12;483(7387):53-8
* Structural engineering of a phage lysin that targets gram-negative pathogens. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jun 19;109(25):9857-62
* Hypermutator strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa reveal novel pathways of resistance to combinations of cephalosporin antibiotics and beta-lactamase inhibitors. PLoS Biol. 2022 Nov 18;20(11):e3001878.
Required Qualifications
* Doctoral degree and fewer than 5 years of postdoctoral experience
* Experience in protein structure determination by X-ray crystallography and/or cryo-EM
* Experience with standard molecular biology techniques
* A record of relevant high-quality publications
* Excellent biochemistry skills
Preferred Qualifications
* Experience in membrane or soluble protein expression and purification
* Experience with bacterial culture techniques
Equal Employment Opportunity
The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) for federal employees & job applicants.
Standards of Conduct/Financial Disclosure
If selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 450 to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest and your prospective position with the agency.
Foreign Education
This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades). Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Learn more about Foreign Education.
Reasonable Accommodation
You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.