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.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (PBSCI) within the UW School of Medicine is the third largest clinical department  with 285 full-time faculty members, 280 clinical faculty members, and over 300 staff. Department faculty provide clinical services in 5 hospitals, 14 primary care locations, and several outpatient sites in addition to telepsychiatry consultations to more than 150 clinics in Washington and beyond. As the only academic psychiatry department serving the five state WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho), the Department’s highly competitive residency training program is largely responsible for developing the mental health workforce in the Pacific Northwest.
The Department’s robust research portfolio totals $35 million in grants and contracts per year for projects ranging from clinical neurosciences to treatment development to health policy and population health. The Department is recognized as an international leader in developing, testing, and implementing Collaborative Care, an integrated care model increasingly seen as a solution for population-based mental health care. Other areas of excellence include Addictions, Autism, High Risk Youth, Neurosciences, and Trauma, and the Department is developing innovative new programs in Technology and Mental Health, Global Mental Health, Maternal and Child Mental Health, and Targeted Intervention Development.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is recruiting for a Research Scientist.

Development of Novel Medications against Substance Use Disorders, Drug Overdose, Chemical and Biological Threats

The Pravetoni lab at the University of Washington School of Medicine is seeking a scientist for development of vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics to counteract opioid use disorders and overdoses. Our unique multidisciplinary research program integrates rational vaccine design, immunomodulators, formulation/delivery platforms, pre-clinical models, analysis of B and T cell lymphocyte repertoire, GLP/GMP studies to support regulatory approval and clinical evaluation, and ad hoc industry collaborations. Our team is currently undertaking Phase I clinical trials of vaccines targeting various opioids. Strategies and platforms are applied to development of vaccines or antibodies against biological or chemical threats (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, cancer, antibiotic bacterial infections).
We are seeking a Research Scientist to develop monoclonal antibodies (mAb), antibody fragments, nanobodies, or other antibody-based strategies by various technologies such as hybridomas, cloning of antibody binding regions into suitable vectors, expression in mammalian cell systems.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate antibody engineering, cell culture expertise and ability to perform transfections in CHO and HEK cells, and the ability to scale-up (~100mg-1g) mAb production in FiberCells, incubators, or equivalent technique/standard.
The ideal candidate is expected to qualify mAb lots by various assays including ELISA, BCA assay, Protein G chromatography, LAL assay for endotoxin content, SDS-PAGE, MALDI-TOF, DLS. Knowledge of biolayer interferometry (e.g., Octet, Blitz) and chromatography (e.g., Akta) is highly encouraged. Knowledge of how to perform thermal stability studies is highly encouraged. Knowledge of antibody engineering (e.g., Fc portion mutants) is expected (or willing to learn).

The ideal candidate will work in team efforts focused on pre-clinical testing of such mAb in mice, rats, rabbits, or other animal models.
The ideal candidate will support team efforts focused on technology transfer of such mAb to Contract Manufacturing Organizations. As such, the individual is expected to develop Standard Operating Procedures to detail the mAb production and qualification process.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
The position is focused on development of monoclonal antibodies (mAb), antibody fragments, nanobodies, or other antibody-based strategies by various technologies such as hybridomas, cloning and expression of antibody binding regions into vectors, mammalian cell expression systems.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate cell culture expertise and ability to perform transfections in CHO and HEK cells, and the ability to scale-up (~100mg-1g) mAb production in FiberCells, incubators, or equivalent technique/standard.
The ideal candidate is expected to qualify mAb lots by various assays including ELISA, BCA assay, Protein G chromatography, LAL assay for endotoxin content, SDS-PAGE, MALDI-TOF, DLS, Akta.

Knowledge, or ability to learn biolayer interferometry via Octet or Blitz to determine antibody’s Kd or other parameters.
Knowledge, or ability to learn how to perform thermal stability studies or other physical-chemical characterization is highly encouraged.
The ideal candidate will work in team efforts focused on pre-clinical testing of such mAb in mice, rats, rabbits, or other animal models.
The ideal candidate will support team efforts focused on technology transfer of such mAb to Contract Manufacturing Organizations. As such, the individual is expected to develop Standard Operating Procedures to detail the mAb production and qualification process.

Distribution of the workload:
•70% Solve complex and varied problems related to on-going research projects.  Independently perform the following experimental procedures: Hybridoma campaigns, sequencing and cloning of antibody binding regions into suitable vectors for expression. Qualification assays such as: ELISA-, BCA assay, Protein G chromatography, LAL assay for endotoxin content, SDS-PAGE.
•20% Exclusively responsible for immunizing mice and rats, collect tissue, or alternatively assist with in vivo assay to test mAb efficacy
•10% Develop standard operating procedures (SOP), assist with Master Batch Records, review documents related to vaccine batches. Support the PI and other staff in power points, posters, peer-review publications, and patents.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

•Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacology, Immunology, Chemistry, Pharmaceutics or related discipline
•One year work related experience
•Ability to generate and screen mAb, or antibody fragments from various origin (mouse, human, camel/llamas, or equivalent mammalian system).
•Antibody Engineering
•Ability to perform tissue culture and molecular biology techniques to clone and express recombinant mAb or fragments (e.g., VHH) into suitable vectors or expression systems (e.g., CHO or HEK)

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

DESIRED EXPERIENCE

Understanding of how to process data obtained from B Cell Receptor sequencing, and subsequent cloning into mAb frameworks
Knowledge of software or browsers for antibody engineering, such as SAbPred-Therapeutic Antibody Profiler to model CDR or guide grafting of murine antibody sequences into human frameworks.

Working knowledge of Prism software to graph data
Ability to prepare posters or power point presentations to showcase data at internal or external meetings, or to support publications in peer review articles

As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs.  For detailed information on Benefits for this position, click here.


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 Workforce 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.