Job Information
Johns Hopkins University Postdoctoral Fellow in Baltimore, Maryland
The O'Brien Lab in the Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine recently opened in August of 2024, and seeks a postdoctoral fellow interested in the discovery and mechanistic characterization of new G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) ligands as drug leads with a variety of cutting-edge technologies. This work will involve membrane protein biochemistry, selection methodologies, structural biology (cryo-EM), and protein dynamics techniques. This work will be extremely multidisciplinary and involve collaboration across many areas of the drug discovery pipeline, with expertise gained in nearly all areas of early drug discovery. The target start date is negotiable.
Dr. Evan O'Brien did his graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania where he used solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques to demonstrate the highly dynamic nature of methyl-bearing side chains in membrane proteins. He followed this up with postdoctoral work in the lab of Dr. Brian Kobilka at Stanford University where he worked towards both characterizing complex mechanisms of allosteric modulation of human GPCRs and discovering and demonstrating the utility of novel small molecule GPCR allosteric modulators. This work resulted in the discovery of the first class of opioid receptor negative allosteric modulators as well as demonstrated their distinct mechanism of activity.
Candidates will have a strong background in protein biochemistry/biophysics, cryo-EM, protein dynamics, and/or computational biology, have a sense of independence, and should be motivated to learn and perfect a wide array of skills/techniques. The postdoc will have a central role in starting the lab, developing GPCR drug discovery efforts at Johns Hopkins, and fostering an open and collaborative environment for membrane protein biophysics throughout the rich scientific community at Johns Hopkins. Applicants must also have excellent communication skills. The applicant must have a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in a related field by the start date.
Interested applicants should apply directly to Dr. O'Brien by sending cover letter (especially indicating future project and technique interests), C.V., and contact information for three references to: eobrie26@jh.edu.
Department: http://biophysics.med.jhmi.edu/
Job Type: Full Time Johns Hopkins University is committed to active recruitment of a diverse faculty and student body. The University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities and encourages applications from these and other protected group members. Consistent with the University’s goals of achieving excellence in all areas, we will assess the comprehensive qualifications of each applicant.