As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. 

UW Bioengineering is a vibrant community driving advances in health care. As a joint department in the College of Engineering and School of Medicine, we bring together students, scientists, engineers, and clinicians to develop innovative and cost-effective health care solutions that improve lives. Our inclusive and collaborative culture empowers our students, faculty, and staff to make an impact through new fields of research and clinical products. Our award-winning faculty are national leaders in biomedical education, research, and technology transfer.

In UW Bioengineering, we are bound by a belief that public health and human dignity are inseparable. One is impossible without the other. Equity and inclusivity are fundamental to our mission of inventing the future of medicine.

The Department of Department of Bioengineering has an outstanding opportunity for Research Scientist/ Engineer 3.

The research program in this lab is developing new drug delivery systems that open new classes of biologic drug treatments, and new diagnostic technologies that opens earlier detection of disease. Our research group is interested in elucidating the fundamental mechanisms of biomolecular recognition and applying the unique capabilities of biological molecules to biotechnologies. We would like to bridge the gap between understanding molecular structure-function relationships and being able to utilize proteins/peptides/DNA for drug therapies, bioanalytics, diagnostics, and biomaterial development.

This position supports ongoing research in the Stayton Lab in the Department of Bioengineering. To better improve future healthcare, the lab's research focuses on developing new therapeutics for unmet needs in infectious disease and cancer therapy.  This research will develop polymer therapeutics for pulmonary infectious disease treatment, including bacterial and viral infections.  Research will also optimize malaria therapeutics and cancer treatments through immune therapy.

The individual in this position will be responsible for performing laboratory work and working with postdocs and graduate students to execute various projects, especially therapeutic development for anti-bacterial and anti-viral therapeutics, along with immune-therapy therapeutics. This will include developing therapeutics for global health and Covid-19 therapies. The focus of this position is the synthesis and pharmaceutic characterization of polymeric prodrugs, including pharmacokinetics and biodistribution studies. This will include independent study design and analysis, in consultation with Professor Stayton, others in the research team, and outside collaborators.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Research activities (75%)
• Independently synthesize polymeric prodrugs using RAFT and Photo-RAFT synthetic methods
• Characterization of drug pharmacokinetics using mass spectrometry techniques.
• Independently conduct animal studies to determine drug safety, biodistribution and pharmacokinetics, including tissue isolation and drug extraction.
• Conduct characterization of drug targeting and activity in pulmonary and other disease models, including ELISA and flow cytometry techniques
• Coordinating polymer therapeutic work in collaborator’s labs at UW and at other universities and to conduct disease model characterizations.

Research reporting and laboratory support (25%)
• Prepare data figures, analyses, and reports for funding agencies, and for publications.
• Maintain the inventory of lab supplies and materials.
• Use department approved methods to purchase goods and materials. Provide required documents to the department’s fiscal office.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
• Bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering, Materials Science, Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related field.
• Three or more year's experience in a related area or equivalent combination of education/experience.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
• Demonstrated experience mentoring and training others.
• Demonstrated experience performing RAFT and Photo-RAFT synthesis of polymeric prodrugs.
• Demonstrated experience performing mass spectrometry characterization of pharmacokinetics.
• Experience in conducting animal characterization of drug distribution and pharmacokinetics.
• Experience in conducting tissue biomarker characterization using ELISA and flow cytometry.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Experience writing for peer-reviewed journals and contributing text and figures to grant proposals.
DESIRED
• Masters or Ph.D. degree in Bioengineering, Materials Science, Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related field.
• Minimum of 2 years of postdoctoral research experience.
• At least 2 years postdoctoral experience in drug delivery and drug development in Bioengineering, Materials Science, Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related field.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring and training postdocs and students.

Application Process:

The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.