The Stowers Institute for Medical Research has an opening for a Postdoctoral Researcher in Dr. Arvind Pillai’s lab to study how biophysically intricate protein features – like folding, assembly, small-molecule interactions, or enzyme catalysis – evolved over deep evolutionary time, addressing a key gap in our understanding of molecular complexity. The lab also seeks to distill principles from these evolutionary origins to guide the design of entirely new protein nanomachines with potential applications in medicine and biotechnology. This work will synthesize evolutionary methods (phylogenetics and ancestral sequence reconstruction), deep-learning–based protein design, and experimental biochemistry and biophysics. We are also interested in implementing high-throughput wet-lab assays of protein stability and function to explore how folded proteins and their activities could have emerged from random or disordered sequences.
Ideal candidates are highly innovative, inquisitive, and creative scientists who can rapidly acquire and integrate techniques spanning evolution, biophysics, and structural biology while developing their own research directions in the lab. They will join a tightly knit, intellectually and technologically multifaceted community at the Stowers Institute, with ample opportunities for collaboration and technology development.
Minimum requirements include a doctoral degree in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, or a related field, with demonstrated experience in protein biochemistry, molecular biology, and computational biology. Strong writing, communication, and teamwork skills are essential; experience in programming, statistics, and complex data analysis is highly preferred.
To Apply:
Please submit the requested documents to Dr. Arvind Pillai: apillai@stowers.org cc: careers@stowers.org.
Requested Documents
- A statement of research interests and experience
- A current CV
- The contact information of 2-3 professional references
