Scientist
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Summary
The Systems Mass Spectrometry Department at the Stowers Institute has an immediate opening for a Scientist to adopt, adapt, and develop leading-edge mass spectrometry-based multi-omics approaches to support research programs at the Institute. The primary role of this position is to assist researchers in the design and implementation of mass spectrometry experiments for impactful outcomes relevant to collaborators' goals.
Job description
Main Responsibilities
- Meeting with collaborators early and often during the lifetime of a project to discuss goals, expectations, and limitations, and suggest the appropriate analytical workflows and controls for successful outcomes.
- Performing timely and accurate sample processing and data acquisition to provide identification and quantitation of proteins and post translational modifications, crosslinked peptides, as well as other biological analytes of interest (metabolites and lipids).
- Processing, analyzing, and visualizing large-scale mass spectrometry datasets.
- Writing project reports and explaining results and conclusions to collaborators.
- Writing sections of manuscripts and providing tables and figures for use in publications or grant/fellowships applications.
- Keeping detailed, and accurate documentation of experimental procedures, data, and analysis, including meticulous sample tracking and data management through LIMS.
- Adapting and developing new and emerging analytical pipelines relevant to collaborators' needs.
- Staying up to date in leading-edge biological mass spectrometry through reading literature, attending conferences, and participating in workshops.
- Participating in the troubleshooting, maintenance, and repair of high-end mass spectrometers and their HPLC systems, as well as coordinating service calls as necessary.
- Assisting with the development of internal courses and workshops for Stowers trainees.
- Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Requirements
- A Ph.D. or Master's degree in chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, or a related field.
- Several years of demonstrated experience working in a scientific laboratory setting.
- Proven expertise in mass spectrometry.
- Strong communication and presentation skills.
Requirements
- Ph.D. or Master's degree in chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, or a related field
- Several years of demonstrated experience working in a scientific laboratory setting
- Proven expertise in mass spectrometry
- Strong communication and presentation skills
- Excellent organizational and multi-tasking skills
- Detail-oriented
- Superior written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work independently while coordinating with collaborators and colleagues
Company overview
The Stowers Institute for Medical Research is a premier non-profit biomedical research organization founded in 2000 by Jim and Virginia Stowers, dedicated to advancing human health through fundamental biological research. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, the institute operates with a unique financial model as the majority stakeholder of American Century Investments, receiving over 40% of the company's annual profits to fund its research activities. This innovative funding structure allows scientists to pursue bold, curiosity-driven research without the constraints of traditional grant-seeking, enabling them to tackle foundational questions about life processes. The institute houses approximately 500 employees, including 20 independent research programs and over a dozen technology-development and core facilities. Research focuses on diverse areas including development and regeneration, evolutionary biology, genetics and genomics, molecular and cellular biology, neuroscience, and systems biology. Stowers scientists study a wide range of organisms from planarian flatworms and apple snails to zebrafish and sea anemones to understand fundamental biological mechanisms. The institute has established a graduate school offering PhD programs in biology and operates a satellite laboratory at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Through its for-profit spinoff BioMed Valley Discoveries, the institute translates foundational discoveries into potential therapeutic applications, exemplified by the development of romosozumab for osteoporosis treatment.