We are looking for a highly motivated individual to join the clinical diagnostics group in the Chilkoti lab at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University as an associate in research. Our bioengineering lab combines cutting-edge techniques from various disciplines, including: surface chemistry, inkjet printing, 3D printing, nanofabrication, biomedical optics, and molecular biology. We combine these skill sets to develop innovative and clinically relevant point-of-care diagnostic technologies, particularly those aimed at democratizing access to healthcare in limited resource settings (see recent publication: https://www.pnas.org/content/114/34/E7054).

The candidate must have received laboratory experience in chemistry, engineering, and/or molecular biology, and have obtained an undergraduate degree and or master’s degree in biology, chemistry, engineering, or a related scientific discipline. The applicant must be detail-oriented, independent, proactive, well-organized, and able to manage multiple and changing priorities as needed to move experiments and the research program forward, in a fast-paced environment. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a strong commitment to research and work ethic, and a positive attitude are required for this team-based position. The candidate must be able to follow instructions from the PI, set and achieve goals in a timely manner and function in a fast-paced environment.

General duties

• Confer with principal investigator to review work assignments and develop plans for research experiments and make modifications to existing procedures and techniques to meet the needs of the particular studies.
• Perform a variety of complex technical duties involved in conducting physical and other research laboratory tests and experiments to obtain data for research purposes and assemble data sets from experimental results.
• Review laboratory methods, manuals, scientific journals, abstracts and other literature for information applicable to research experiments. Review work of lower level laboratory personnel and assist in training new personnel.

Specific areas of need

• Perform batch polymerizations to grow polymer brushes from glass slides to be used for assay fabrication and development
• Assay fabrication and development, including:
  • Use of clean room facilities to inkjet print antibodies for surface bio-functionalization
  • Fabrication and assembly of microfluidic chips
  • Performing and interpreting dose-response curves
• Regular preventative maintenance of laboratory equipment
• Hardware/software prototyping development, including:
  • Electronics -Arduino/Raspberry Pi, transistors, soldering,
  • Optics- lenses, fluorescence imaging, lasers, power management
  • Programming- Python- with experience with OpenCV, PyQt5, TensorFlow, Git

Desired technical skills

• Previous hands-on laboratory experience
• Proficiency with AutoCAD, Solidworks, or embedded systems design is a plus