Hiring

Paul Yager Research Group Bioengineering Department Box 355061 University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195

Posted as of Friday, February 8, 2013

JOB OPENINGS IN YAGER GROUP

Professors Elain Fu, Barry Lutz and Paul Yager of the UW Department of Bioengineering have an immediate need to fill the seven open positions described below.  These new personnel will immediately join our team in an ongoing effort in developing a multiplexable autonomous disposable nucleic acid amplification test (MAD NAAT) for use in limited-resource settings. This DARPA-funded research and development project is a collaborative effort of multiple partners in academia and industry and is led by the Yager group at the University of Washington. The second funded phase of the project will start March 1, 2013, and last 18 months. 

We are seeking candidates who are ambitious and desire a stimulating and highly-interactive research experience. Some of these positions may be filled either as postdoctoral fellows or research scientists depending on the candidate’s qualifications and career ambitions.

For all positions, we are seeking individuals who can demonstrate the following attributes through their CV, letters of recommendation, and an interview:

• Ability to design efficient and definitive experiments, then draw appropriate conclusions
• Ability to self-direct and meet deadlines
• Ability to communicate effectively and work cooperatively with colleagues
• Drive and motivation to produce high output for 18 months
• Ability to write strong publications (for postdoc positions)

Please send your CV, list of three references (with contact information) and a cover letter describing: 1) how your experience makes you qualified for a position described below, and 2) how working with us would fit into your career plan.  These document should be e-mailed in pdf format to the MAD NAAT Project Manager, Lisa Lafleur (llafleur@uw.edu). Include “MAD NAAT APPLICATION” and the position number in the subject heading. CVs will be reviewed in the order received and until all positions are filled.

The University of Washington is a recipient of a National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award to increase the participation of women in academic science and engineering careers.  The University of Washington is building a culturally diverse workforce and strongly encourages applications from women and minority candidates. The University of Washington is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity employer.

Position #1: Research Fellow in Sample Preparation – Bacteria (MRSA) lysis & DNA purification

This person will coordinate with existing team members to develop bacterial lysis and DNA purification for MRSA compatible with the MAD NAAT system. Initial methods have been developed for this system. This person will be building on the initial methods and developing new lysis and purification techniques as well as assisting in their integration into a MRSA diagnostic prototype device.

Education/Experience Requirements

• Required: PhD or equivalent experience in Microbiology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or related fields
• Required: Significant expertise in bacterial lysis, preferably gram positive organisms
• Required: Experience in troubleshooting lysis protocols and sample preparation for nucleic acid amplification (DNA)
• Required: Experience with microbial cell culture, handling/testing complex biological samples (e.g., nasal, blood)
• Desired: Ability to use conventional nucleic acid analysis methods and instrumentation (e.g., bench-top NA instruments, electrophoresis, staining)

Position #2: Research Fellow in Sample Preparation –Bacterial Lysis

This person will develop techniques compatible with the MAD NAAT system for bacterial lysis of a broad range of pathogens.

Education/Experience Requirements

• Required: PhD or equivalent experience in Microbiology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or related field
• Required: Significant expertise in bacterial lysis (of a variety of gram positive and gram negative organisms) using chemical, mechanical and/or other means.
• Required: Experience in troubleshooting lysis protocols and sample preparation for nucleic acid amplification (DNA)
• Required: Experience with cell culture, handling/testing complex biological samples (e.g., nasal, blood)
• Desired: Ability to use conventional nucleic acid analysis methods and instrumentation (e.g., bench top NA instruments, electrophoresis, staining)

Position #3: Research Fellow in Sample Preparation – Viral  Lysis and RNA Capture

This person will develop biochemical techniques for viral lysis, RNA purification, and blood sample preparation for nucleic acid amplification that are compatible with the MAD NAAT system. This person must bring significant expertise and practical experience in viral lysis and RNA purification (for RSV & influenza).

Education/Experience Requirements

• Required: PhD or equivalent experience in Microbiology, Virology or related fields and extensive experience with viruses
• Required: Significant expertise in viral culture, lysis and RNA sample preparation for nucleic acid amplification
• Required: Ability to troubleshoot lysis protocols and is well trained in NA assays (e.g., bench top NA instruments, electrophoresis, staining)

Position #4: Postdoctoral Fellow - Fluidics for Dry Reagent Storage and Rehydration

This person will be primarily involved in developing creative approaches for the storage and rehydration of amplification reagents and detection labels for their controlled release in membrane-based assays. This person will also help incorporate such methods into the integrated MRSA prototype.

Education/Experience Requirements

• Required: PhD in Bioengineering or related engineering or physical sciences field
• Required: Practical and significant experience in flow and transport in microfluidic systems, preferably in porous media
• Desired: Experience with the stabilization, storage, and controlled release of biological molecules.  Relevant experience may draw from reagent storage and rehydration/drug delivery, encapsulation of drugs and their controlled release in tissues and/or animal models or related fields.

Position #5: Research Scientist in Materials Testing

This person will participate in the development of materials testing protocols and perform regular batch characterization as materials are received from our collaborators. Characterization tests may include flow properties such as capillary rise times, resistance to flow, and evaluating nucleic acid amplification efficacy.  This person will also be a key connection to the collaborators who make these materials.

Education/Experience Requirements

• Required: Proven experience of work in a laboratory setting and documentation of laboratory results
• Required: Careful attention to detail and meticulous experimental work
• Required: Demonstrated professionalism and communication skills to interface with collaborators
• Desired: Experience with microfluidics, optics and detection in microfluidic/non-standard assay formats.
• Desired: Experience in surface chemistry and characterization for biomedical applications

Position #6: Product Development Lead

The Product Development Lead will work with a core team of 2-3 people responsible for the prototype development of the integrated MAD NAAT device. The other core prototype developers will be the Project Manager and Product Development Support person (Position 7). The rest of the MAD NAAT team includes experts in each aspect of the design who focus primarily on their own components, but will also work in conjunction with the Integration Team for training or to incorporate newly developed research tools into the integrated design.
The Product Development Lead will be responsible for the design, implementation, and analysis of experiments related to integrating MAD NAAT components into a TRL5 prototype. This person will also test different configurations of prototype devices to optimize the design. They will be required to perform experiments relevant to each component of the integrated device including sample preparation, nucleic acid amplification, valving and fluid control in paper-based devices, and results detection.
A critical skill of this person will be the ability to see how changing one parameter (or many) affects the rest of the system. The person will need to balance multiple potential improvements across the system with synergistic outputs, possibly when some parameters aren’t fully constrained. This job may be well suited for people who enjoy solving complex physical puzzles.

Education/Experience Requirements

Required

• Established record of optimizing a multi-part design by investigating multiple improvements and trade-offs
• Experience with fabrication (metal working, wood, 3D printing, mixed materials, etc)
• Strong communications and verbal skills

Desired

• Bachelor’s degree (in Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, Electrical Engineering or related fields)
• Experience in Design for manufacturing
• 3D modeling (ideally SolidWorks)
• Some wet chemistry experience

Cover letters for this position must include a description of a multi-component engineering project you were a primary designer for (work, school, or hobby are all acceptable). Include some discussion of design trade-offs and decisions you made to create a successful outcome. You may include a picture or graphic if it strengthens your explanation.

Position #7: Product Development Support

The Product Development Support member will work with a core team of 2-3 people responsible for the prototype development of the integrated MAD NAAT device. The other core prototype developers will be the Project Manager and Product Development Lead (Position 6). The rest of the MAD NAAT team includes experts in each aspect of the design who focus primarily on their own components, but will also work in conjunction with the integration team for training or to incorporate newly developed research tools into the integrated design.
The Product Development Support member will be assist in the design, implementation, and analysis of experiments related to integrating MAD NAAT components into a TRL5 prototype. This person will also test different configurations of prototype devices to optimize the design. They will be required to perform experiments relevant to each component of the integrated device including sample preparation, nucleic acid amplification, valving and fluid control in paper-based devices, and results detection.

Education/Experience Requirements

Required

• Experience with fabrication (metal working, wood, 3D printing, mixed materials, etc)

Desired

• Bachelors preferred but not required (optimal fields for academic training include Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, Electrical Engineering)
• 3D modeling strongly preferred (SolidWorks)
• Design for manufacturing experience
• Some wet chemistry experience

Cover letters for this position must include a description of a multi-component engineering project for which you were a primary designer (for work, school, or hobby). Include some discussion of design trade-offs and decisions you made to create a successful outcome. You may include a picture or graphic if it strengthens your explanation.