About City of Hope

City of Hope is an independent biomedical research and treatment organization for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.

Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a leader in bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapy such as CAR T cell therapy. City of Hope’s translational research and personalized treatment protocols advance care throughout the world. Human synthetic insulin, monoclonal antibodies and numerous breakthrough cancer drugs are based on technology developed at the institution.  AccessHope™, a subsidiary launched in 2019 serves employers and their health care partners by providing access to City of Hope’s specialized cancer expertise.

A National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, City of Hope is ranked among the nation’s “Best Hospitals” in cancer by U.S. News & World Report and received Magnet Recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Its main campus is located near Los Angeles, with additional locations throughout Southern California and in Arizona.

City of Hope’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We believe diversity, equity and inclusion is key in serving our mission to provide compassionate patient care, drive innovative discovery, and advance vital education focused on eliminating cancer and diabetes in all of our communities.  Our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ensures we bring the full range of skills, perspectives, cultural backgrounds and experiences to our work -- and that our teams align with the people we serve in order to build trust and understanding.  We are dedicated to fostering a community that embraces diversity - in ideas, backgrounds and perspectives; this is reflected in our work and represented in our people.

Position Summary

The Williams lab is looking for a Postdoctoral Fellow interested in seeing their efforts translated to the clinic to treat cancer and diabetic patients.  The position involves an atoms-up approach to design novel biologics to mitigate on-target, off-tissue toxicities and improve their therapeutic efficacy.  The requisite research includes the application of structural biology, computation, biophysics, in vitro and in vivo assays while communicating and coordinating these efforts with the rest of the team and clinicians at City of Hope focusing on immediate clinical needs. The successful candidate will be deeply involved through all aspects of this bench-to-bedside approach.

The Williams lab is equipment with state-of-the-art instruments including multiple incubators, biosafety cabinets, multiple FPLCs (including a new Biorad NGC FPLC – automating the purification of dozens of molecules per day), an Agilent HPLC, Biacore T200, Waters nanoITC, Beckman XLI, Mosquito crystallization robot, Formulatrix imagers, and a Rigaku 007HF diffractometer. A new Sony SH800 cell sorter is also located in the lab to further drive these efforts using novel display libraries developed in-house.   In addition, the successful candidate will have access to 27 core facilities across the campus.

Basic education, experience and skills required for consideration:

• PhD in chemistry, biochemistry, protein chemistry, biochemical engineering or related field with 1 to 3 years of postdoctoral experience

• Experience with protein expression and purification

• Fully versed in protein purification methods (Affinity, SEC, IEX), analysis (e.g., SDS-PAGE)

• Experience with cell culture (E. coli and CHO a must, yeast and insect desirable).  Experience with SPR and other biophysical methods desirable

• Protein engineering, production, purification in CHO

• Biophysical characterization (SPR, ITC, AUC, CD)

• X-ray Crystallography

• Assay development, interpretation, and troubleshooting

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Good problem-solving skills

• Ability to conduct independent research

• Ability to supervise others and work effectively in a team

Preferred education, experience and skills:

• Enzymology experience a plus

• CryoEM experience a plus

Additional Information:

City of Hope is a world leader in translational medicine, including synthesis of first synthetic gene, humanization of monoclonal antibodies and pioneering work in CAR T cells.  These discoveries have led to some of the most important therapeutics in world including recombinant insulin for maintenance of type 2 diabetes and Rituxan, Herceptin, Avastin, etc. for the treatment of cancer.  Building off these successes, City of Hope houses three FDA approved GMP facilities along with its 27 core facilities to rapidly advance discoveries.

• For more information about Dr. Williams' research, please click here.

• As a condition of employment, City of Hope requires staff to comply with all state and federal vaccination mandates.   

City of Hope is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

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