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Position Overview

The Siegel Lab is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to lead the discovery, engineering, and characterization of enzymes for next-generation metabolic health technologies. The project combines rational protein design, AI-guided protein engineering, directed evolution, genomic mining, and high-throughput screening to discover and optimize enzyme variants.
The successful candidate will design and execute enzyme engineering campaigns, including library design, protein expression, purification, biochemical characterization, and enzyme kinetic analysis. This position provides the opportunity to translate engineered enzymes into real-world applications through collaboration with an industry partner.

Key Responsibilities

• Enzyme Discovery and Library Development: Develop enzyme discovery pipelines integrating rational design, AI-guided protein engineering, genomic mining, and directed evolution. Design and generate enzyme variant libraries for experimental evaluation.
• High-Throughput Screening: Develop and optimize plate based high-throughput screening assays to evaluate enzyme activity, specificity and stability under application relevant conditions.

• Protein Engineering: Lead iterative enzyme engineering campaigns to improve catalytic efficiency, substrate specificity, stability, and overall performance.
• Protein Production and Characterization: Express, purify and characterize lead enzyme variants.
• Data Analysis and Collaboration: Analyze experimental data, document findings, and work closely with an industry partner to guide iterative enzyme optimization and technology development.
• Research Leadership: Mentor researchers, contribute to manuscripts and grant proposals. Support a collaborative laboratory environment.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
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