Postdoctoral Research Associate – Gibson (Cell & Molecular Biology) and Skiniotis (Structural Biology) Laboratories

The COE-SCB was established to move structural biology beyond the test tube and visualize macromolecular machines directly within their native cellular context. Working within the Center and the St. Jude Cryo-Electron Microscopy and Tomography Center, the fellow will have access to:

Multiple high-end transmission electron microscopes, including a 300 keV Titan Krios G4 with cold field emission source (among the world's highest-resolution instruments) and Titan Krios and Talos Arctica platforms equipped with K3 direct electron detectors and BioQuantum energy filters, plus a Talos L120C for rapid screening

A complete cryo-ET workflow for in situ structural biology, including cryo-focused ion beam (FIB) milling, correlative cryo-light/electron microscopy, and volume EM approaches under active expansion within the Center

Full sample preparation infrastructure (Vitrobot Mark IV, Leica EM GP2, plasma cleaning, glow discharge)

Dedicated GPU workstations and clusters with institutional data infrastructure for high-throughput image processing

Embedded staff scientists who provide consultation, hands-on training, and mentorship in every step of the workflow, with instrument access and expenses covered institutionally so that science, not cost, sets the pace

PhD (or MD/PhD) in biochemistry, biophysics, structural biology, cell biology, or a related field, completed or expected at the time of appointment

A record of research productivity, including first-author publication(s) or preprint(s)

Hands-on experience in at least one of the following: cryo-EM/cryo-ET, chromatin or nucleic acid–protein biochemistry, or quantitative biophysics of macromolecular assemblies

A passion for rigorous, mechanism-driven science and a thoughtful, collaborative mindset

Excellent written and oral communication skills

Experience with nucleosome or chromatin reconstitution

Experience with cryo-EM/cryo-ET data processing (e.g., RELION, cryoSPARC, IMOD, Warp/M)

Familiarity with scripting or programming for image analysis (Python, MATLAB, or similar)

Memphis offers big-city amenities with a cost of living far below that of most major research hubs, and Tennessee has no state income tax on wages. A postdoc salary goes remarkably far here. The city is home to a world-famous music and food culture, professional sports, beautiful running and biking routes along the Mississippi River, and a warm, welcoming community. The St. Jude campus sits minutes from downtown, and fellows consistently cite quality of life as one of the best parts of training here.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a world leader in understanding, treating, and defeating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases, pairing academic freedom with exceptional institutional resources in service of a singular mission: Finding cures. Saving children. Postdoctoral fellows work alongside internationally recognized faculty with access to more than a dozen state-of-the-art shared resources and data platforms, including St. Jude Cloud, which shares data and discoveries with the global research community.

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