Job Summary

The Antimicrobial Biologics Laboratory headed by Dr Matthew Tay at the A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR IDL), Singapore, is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Fellow to develop next-generation antibody and receptor-based therapeutics against emerging viral and bacterial pathogens.

Our laboratory works at the interface of antibody discovery, protein engineering, virology, structural biology and translational infectious disease research. We are particularly interested in identifying broadly protective antibodies and receptor-based biologics that remain effective against diverse and evolving pathogens.

The successful candidate will contribute to several interconnected research programmes, including:

• development of broadly reactive monoclonal antibody libraries against coronaviruses, with the goal of enabling rapid antibody discovery against future emerging viruses;
• discovery and mechanistic characterization of monoclonal antibodies and their target antigens against Klebsiella pneumoniae and other antimicrobial-resistant bacterial pathogens; and
• development of new approaches for high-throughput discovery and characterization of therapeutic biologics.

Job Description

The successful candidate will work closely with the Principal Investigator and collaborators to design and execute research programmes in antibody and biologics discovery.

Responsibilities include:

• Discover and characterize monoclonal antibodies from immune B cell libraries.
• Investigate antibody target antigens and epitopes through co-IP/mass spec
• Investigate antibody target epitopes through mutagenesis, competition assays, structural approaches and/or computational analysis.
• Characterize antibody-antigen and receptor-virus interactions using techniques such as SDS-PAGE, ELISA, BLI/SPR or related methods.
• Design, express and characterize viral antigens, host receptors, antibody fragments and engineered receptor decoys to improve affinity, breadth, stability or resistance to viral escape.
• Work with collaborators across virology, structural biology, computational biology, animal models and translational development.
• Prepare manuscripts, presentations, patent disclosures and research proposals.
• Mentor junior researchers and contribute to the scientific development of the laboratory.

Opportunities

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to:

• lead scientifically ambitious projects addressing emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance;
• gain experience across antibody discovery, protein engineering, functional screening and translational biologics development with potential for intellectual property protection and downstream translation;
• build an independent research profile through publications, presentations, collaborations and project leadership.

We particularly welcome candidates who enjoy working across traditional disciplinary boundaries and who are motivated by the challenge of translating molecular discoveries into new approaches for preventing and treating infectious diseases.

Qualifications

A PhD in virology, immunology, structural biology, protein biochemistry, protein engineering, antibody engineering, microbiology, molecular biology, biotechnology, or a related discipline.

Skills and Competencies

• Experience with monoclonal antibody isolation and characterization
• Experience with co-IP/mass spec for antigen identification
• Experience with structural virology will be an asset
• Highly motivated and able to work and learn independently
• Team player with good interpersonal and communication skills