Job Description

The Acharya Lab in the Division of Structural Biology at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI), is recruiting for a Postdoctoral Associate. We study structures of viral glycoproteins, their interactions with host molecules and role in viral entry. Working at the interface of basic and translational research, we collaborate with multiple labs in DHVI and beyond to apply insights from structural biology to vaccine design. We have state-of-the-art facilities that include tissue culture labs, FPLCs, X-ray crystallography robots, a biophysics suite that includes a Biacore T200, Octet Red 384, ITC, DSC and a plate reader for absorbance and fluorescence assays, Leica EM GP2 and other equipment for cryo-EM grid preparation. We have regular access to the 22-ID beamline at the Argonne Photon Source for X-ray data collection, as well as to a Titan Krios microscope equipped with a Gatan K3 camera at Duke University for cryo-EM. This position will involve structural determination using high-resolution cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography of viral envelope and fusion proteins, and their complexes with host receptors and antibodies, biophysical and biochemical analyses to complement structural results, and collaborations with virology and immunology labs to understand the functional implications of the structural findings.

Some of our recent publications are listed below:

Gobeil SM, Janowska K, McDowell S, Mansouri K, Parks R, Stalls V, Kopp MF, Manne K, Saunders K, Edwards RJ, Haynes BF, Henderson RC, Acharya P. Effect of natural mutations of SARS-CoV-2 on spike structure, conformation, and antigenicity. Science 2021 Jun 24;eabi6226.
doi: 10.1126/science.abi6226.

Henderson R, Edwards RJ, Mansouri K, Janowska K, Stalls V, Gobeil SMC, Kopp M, Li D, Parks R, Hsu AL, Borgnia MJ, Haynes BF, Acharya P. Controlling the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein conformation. Nat Struct Mol Biol, 27(10):925-933, Oct 2020 doi: 10.1038/s41594-020-0479-4. Epub 2020 Jul 22. PMID: 32699321

Williams WB, Meyerhoff RR, Edwards RJ, Li H, Manne K, Nicely NI, Henderson R, Zhou Y, Janowska K, Mansouri K, Gobeil S, Evangelous T, Hora B, Berry M, Abuahmad AY, Sprenz J, Deyton M, Stalls V, Kopp M, Hsu AL, Borgnia MJ, Stewart-Jones G, Lee MS, Bronkema N, Moody MA, Wiehe K, Bradley T, Alam SM, Parks RJ, Foulger A, Oguin T, Sempowski GD, Bonsignori M, LaBranche CC, Montefiori DC, Seaman M, Santra S, Perfect J, Francica JR, Lynn GM, Aussedat B, Walkowicz WE, Laga R, Kelsoe G, Saunders KO, Fera D, Kwong PD, Seder RA, Bartesaghi A, Shaw GM, Acharya P, Haynes BF. (2021) Fab-dimerized glycan-reactive antibodies are a structural category of natural antibodies. Cell, 184, 2955.

At DHVI our postdoctoral associates work in concert with Duke faculty and staff in an invigorating research training environment. One of our primary scientific missions is to support and train early stage investigators to be the next generation of scientific leaders equipped to identify and implement solutions for improving human health worldwide. We are committed to providing an outstanding training environment and research experiences that will enhance your career and provide an avenue to incorporate your education, expertise, initiative and dedication to the success of the studies.

The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. degree, with a strong background in biochemistry and structural biology. Experience with basic molecular biology, protein expression, purification, and either X-ray crystallography or cryo-EM is required. The ideal candidate will be creative, motivated, and have the ability to work independently, as well as part of a team.

The application materials should include a CV and cover letter with a half page summary explaining your past research, a summary explaining your interest and how joining the Division of Structural Biology at DHVI fits within your overall career objectives, and the contact information for 3 references. You will be contacted if we are interested in exploring your credentials in more detail.