Posting Title

Postdoctoral Researcher – Enzyme engineering for cell-free systems

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Location

CO - Golden

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Position Type

Postdoc (Fixed Term)

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Hours Per Week

40

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Working at NLR

NLR is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development.

Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth.

At NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.

Job Description

The RRES Center is a talented team of scientists and technicians working in biological, chemical, and catalytic research . The center has strong thrusts in polymer design and upcycling, separations, synthetic biology and bioconversion, analytical sciences, computational modeling, and lignocellulosic chemistry and catalysis.

The successful candidate will work in the DOE-funded ‘Integrating cell-free systems and genome engineering to accelerate biosystems design for carbon-negative biomanufacturing’ project to develop optimized cell-free systems for the conversion of C1 substrates to sustainable biofuels and bioproducts. The specific role will require identifying, expressing, purifying, and assaying enzymes from full metabolic pathways, developing high-throughput enzymatic assays for pathway validation, and working with data scientists to develop efficient cell-free production pathways. The project will be in collaboration done in close connection with industrial partners and researchers at NLR and collaborating institutions.

The successful candidate will utilize biochemical assays to measure enzyme activities and conduct directed evolution, structure-guided protein engineering, and machine learning-guided protein engineering studies to improve enzyme and pathway function. The ability to conduct laboratory experiments with minimal supervision with the utmost regard to safety is required, as well as the ability to learn new techniques and protocols.

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Work safely and independently in a laboratory setting

• Plan and execute research in collaboration with other researchers

• Communicate scientific results effectively, both in written and oral formats

• Author peer-reviewed publications, and

• Work effectively in a large, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team of engineers and scientists.

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Basic Qualifications

Must be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.

* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• Experience with cloning, expression, and purification of proteins
• Experience with automation of biochemical assays
• Demonstrated experience in enzyme and/or protein engineering
• Ability to take initiative to set direction and goals for assigned tasks
• Troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
• Strong record of quality peer-reviewed publications
• Strong safety record
• Demonstrated ability to follow complex standard operating procedures with attention to detail

Preferred Qualifications

· Analytical chemistry experience with HPLC, GC-FID, GC-MS, and/or LC-MS

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Job Application Submission Window

The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)

Job Profile: Postdoctoral Researcher / Annual Salary Range: $74,900 - $123,600

NLR takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits Summary

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short-term disability insurance*; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; and paid holidays. NLR employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement.

* Based on eligibility rules

Badging Requirement

NLR is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation.

Drug Free Workplace

NLR is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.

If you are offered employment at NLR, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NLR you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

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Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Reasonable Accommodations

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