Research Technician / Assistant / Associate, Biophysics

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?
With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you'll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career! 

JOB SUMMARY
Works under general direction to either plan, coordinate, supervise, and participate in assigned research projects or perform more complex research assignments requiring considerable experience and thorough knowledge of techniques and practices related to particular field of medical or scientific research. 

We seek applicants with an interest in working to understand biological mechanisms in fundamental terms and at the molecular level. Our research aims to discover and quantify the structural and biochemical mechanisms that dictate microtubule polymerization dynamics and their modulation by regulatory factors. Microtubules are dynamic non-covalent protein polymers with essential roles organizing the intracellular space, orchestrating faithful segregation of the genome during cell division, and providing tracks for motor-based transport. Most of our work consists of in vitro experiments using purified proteins including the polymerizing subunit of microtubules (ab-tubulin) or a variety of regulatory factors. 

Prior experience with some combination of PCR/cloning/mutagenesis, protein expression and purification, will be very helpful but is not strictly necessary, especially for more entry-level titles. The work is fast-paced and often pivots in response to exciting new findings, so curiosity and adaptability are valuable character traits in an applicant. The successful candidate will be someone motivated to understand how things work and who enjoys working in a collaborative environment. The successful candidate will have an opportunity to make significant contributions advancing the understanding of a fundamental process in cell biology.

Position activities will encompass some combination of the following: 

• Creating reagents to express new site-directed tubulin mutants
• Expressing (in yeast or in insect cells) and purifying tubulin and its mutants – Measuring microtubule polymerization dynamics in the light microscope, and analyzing the resulting data 
• Preparing samples for cryo-electron microscopy 
• Performing analytical assays for interactions and/or stability 
• Using yeast genetic approaches to identify new tubulin mutations based on phenotypic analysis
• Maintaining reliable records of experiments, protocols, and results 
• Contributing to laboratory operations by maintaining instruments, reagents, and inventory. using appropriate standards and methods to insure meaningful results. 
• Maintain laboratory reagents and supplies. 
• Maintain inventory and order supplies as needed. 
• Other related duties as assigned

BENEFITS
UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer

• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!

  
   

Security
This position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code 51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information.

EEO
UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.