Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Research Officer/Senior Research Officer – Protein interactions
Garvan Institute of Medical Research brings together world leading scientists and clinicians, collaborating locally and globally, to advance our understanding of disease, particularly cancer, autoimmunity and genetic disorders. Garvan is a global leader in fundamental biomedical research and its translation. Our mission is to make discoveries that will improve health for all.
Building on our scientific strengths in genomics, cancer and immunology, enabled by cutting-edge technology and world-class facilities, and the support of our passionate Garvan family, our researchers and professional staff, we will drive more of our discoveries to clinical and societal impact.
At Garvan, we see a future where all diseases can be prevented, treated or cured. Everyone is touched by disease. Our discoveries today will lead to better health tomorrow.
THE OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking an experienced and motivated Senior Research Officer or Research Officer to contribute to the development of next-generation protein therapeutics. This role is at the forefront of identifying and characterising lead candidates for therapeutic development. The incumbent will serve as an expert in binding assays across multiple therapeutic and research programs.
This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the end-to-end development of innovative biologics—from ideation through clinical translation—within the newly established biologics platform embedded in a leading healthcare hub. This environment offers unparalleled resources and collaborative advantages to accelerate translational medicine and bring next-generation therapeutics to patients.
The successful candidate will work closely with cross-functional teams, mentor junior scientists, and collaborate with internal and external partners, including CROs.
Salary: Up to $117,400 (depending on experience) + 14% super + salary packaging
Employment Type: 2 year fixed-term contract with possibility to extend
SNAPSHOT OF BENEFITS
Generous salary packaging to save you income tax on your wages thereby boosting your monthly take home pay (max. $15,900 general expenses + $2,650 meals/accom)
Ample opportunities for on-going training and development
Stimulating, diverse and highly international research environment
Flexible work arrangements e.g. start / finish times
18 weeks paid parental leave for both parents including paid superannuation
A range of additional leave types to meet your personal needs including cultural leave, conference leave, community service and study leave
Discounted Health Insurance
Lifestyle discounts with our community partners
WHAT YOU WILL DO
Under the guidance of senior staff, the successful candidate will:
Strategic Design & Leadership
Partner with Biologics and Development platforms to define project strategies, timelines, and deliverables.
Identify opportunity for and develop binding assays as required to support various therapeutic and research projects from early stage to preclinical development
Stay up to date on innovative technologies to support the platform
Mentor junior scientists in experimental design, execution, and data interpretation.
Key Responsibilities:
Conduct binding assays using SPR, BLI, ELISA, and flow cytometry as required.
Design, develop and optimise binding assays as required (e.g. HTP binder screens, competition assays etc.)
Analysis and reporting of binding data in a timely manner to guide project timelines in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
Maintenance of related equipment and consumables
Training of junior staff and peers in methods investigating protein-protein binding
Additional criteria:
Understanding of other laboratory workflows to assess and troubleshoot reagent quality
Understanding of therapeutics development pipeline
Mentoring of junior staff
Critical thinking, problem solving and strong interpersonal skills
Stakeholder Engagement
Collaborate effectively with internal and external partners including CROs.
Communicate scientific findings clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Innovation
Stay current with relevant literature to inform internal decision-making and identify opportunities for capability growth.
Drive adoption of cutting-edge technologies in protein interaction analyses
Contribute to intellectual property development and scientific publications.
ABOUT YOU
The key skills and experience include:
Education:
Ph.D. in Protein Engineering, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, or related field.
Senior Research Scientist:
5+ years of relevant experience
Extensive experience in binding assessments using high throughput SPR and/or BLI assays.
Demonstrated experience in binding assay development and troubleshooting.
Proven experience mentoring junior staff and stakeholder management.
Research Scientist:
2–5 years of relevant experience in binding assessments using either SPR and/or BLI
Attributes
High integrity and accountability.
Strong communication and documentation skills.
Respectful stakeholder engagement.
Highly collaborative and strong team player who can also work independently.
Creative problem-solving and adaptability.
Commitment to health and safety practices.
Role model for junior staff including students and stakeholders.
ABOUT GARVAN
Garvan Institute of Medical Research is an independent Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Sydney, delivering scientific and clinical impact on a global basis and in partnership with organisations that share our vision. We are proud to be one of Australia’s largest and most highly regarded MRI’s.
Our vision is global leadership in discoveries to impact and our enduring purpose is to impact human health, by harnessing information encoded in our genome.
We seek to see our world-class discovery research achieve life-changing impacts, not only for individual patients with rare diseases, but for the many thousands affected by complex, common disease.
Garvan promotes a diverse workplace and is committed to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. We are always looking for culture ‘add’, not culture ‘fit’ and are building diverse teams with great sets of complementary styles and skills to help deliver our important work effectively.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for this position, please submit your application with a CV and cover letter as one document, stating why you are interested in this role. We are reviewing applications as they are received. If you think you’re the right person for this role, we’d love to hear how your capabilities, achievements and experience set you apart. Only applicants with full working rights in Australia are eligible to apply for this role.
