Job Title: SPR Specialist
Annual Base Salary: DOE, $87,000-$115,000 along with bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits package
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Our Mission
Formerly known as the Ellison Institute of Technology Los Angeles, the Ellison Medical Institute strives to spark innovation, leverage technology, and drive interdisciplinary, patient-centered research to continually enhance health, reimagine and redefine cancer care, and transform lives.
Established in 2016 as a medical research and development center, the Institute features innovation labs for artificial intelligence and molecular analytics and was among the first organizations to vertically integrate the interdisciplinary study and treatment of disease. We offer multifaceted programs, including a preventative medicine and cancer clinic, cross-disciplinary research laboratories, a health policy think-tank, and community outreach and educational programs.
Please visit emila.org for more details.
Job Summary
The Ellison Medical Institute is seeking a Specialist in Biophysical Characterization with strong expertise in Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) to support and advance peptide and protein discovery programs. This individual will independently design, execute, and interpret SPR-based binding and kinetic studies, including assay development, ligand immobilization strategy selection, and data modeling. The role will also contribute to peptide and protein production activities, including expression, purification, and sample quality assessment, to support high-quality biophysical studies. The successful candidate will work closely with cross-functional discovery teams, provide scientific insight to drive project decisions, and support instrument optimization, troubleshooting, and best-practice development.
Why You Should Join Us:
- Build a New Capability from the Ground Up: Establish and scale in-house SPR and biophysical characterization capabilities for peptide and proteins within a growing therapeutic discovery platform.
- Direct Scientific Impact: Own SPR assay strategy, data quality standards, and biological interpretation, generating decision-enabling data to support drug discovery, lead optimization, and preclinical testing.
- Highly Collaborative Environment: Partner closely with peptide design, biological evaluation, and analytical teams to translate synthetic peptides and proteins into therapeutic discovery programs.
Job Accountabilities:
- SPR Assay Development: Independently design, execute, troubleshoot, and optimize SPR assays using Biacore instruments.
- Data Analysis and Scientific Interpretation: Analyze and interpret SPR data within the appropriate biological and biophysical context, critically evaluating binding kinetics, fitting models, controls, and experimental assumptions to generate decision-ready data for discovery and lead-selection efforts.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with design, discovery, analytical, and biology teams to align peptide and protein synthesis outputs with experimental requirements, and provide scientific insights to support downstream evaluation. On a limited basis provide hands-on support for peptide synthesis and protein expression and purification as needed.
- Documentation and Communication: Maintain clear, accurate, and reproducible documentation of experimental procedures and results, and effectively communicate findings and recommendations to project teams.
- Scientific Culture & Standards: Contribute to a team culture that values scientific rigor, efficiency, transparency, innovation, collaboration, and accountability, while upholding high scientific and technical standards.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Required Education:
- Bachelor’s in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Chemical Biology, Molecular Biology, or a related field
- Master’s of Science preferred
Required Experience:
- 2-4 years of hands-on experience performing SPR experiments using Biacore platform
- Demonstrated ability to independently design SPR assays, assess data quality, and interpret results in biological context
- Experience working with peptides and/or proteins in a discovery research environment
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent documentation, communication, and teamwork abilities
- Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary research setting
Preferred Additional Skills:
- Experience with complementary biophysical techniques (e.g., BLI, ITC, DSF)
- Experience with peptide synthesis or protein expression and purification workflows
For the safety and health of employees, guests, and patients, the Ellison Medical Institute may mandate vaccination requirements for employment. The Ellison Medical Institute’s policies are always subject to review and change to ensure they are appropriate under the circumstances.
The Ellison Medical Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that an inclusive, collaborative team environment is just as important to our mission as stethoscopes and microscopes. We strive to always provide employees a supportive atmosphere, so they feel confident taking creative risks toward innovation. The Ellison Medical Institute values emotional intelligence and communication with empathy and respect for others. We seek to build a diverse group of people who are curious, have a deep sense of responsibility, and the grit needed to achieve excellence.