Postdoctoral Fellow

**Main purpose of the job**:

- A position exists for a Postdoctoral Fellow to work on Ebola antibody discovery in the Antibody Immunity Research Unit based at the NICD
- The fellow, supervised by Dr Jinal Bhiman and Dr Dale Kitchin, will adapt and optimize current human monoclonal antibody isolation pipelines for use in mice
- This project will include protein expression, flow cytometry, immunoglobulin gene molecular amplification/enrichment/sequencing and antibody characterization
- Isolated monoclonal antibodies will be generated for translation into diagnostic and immunoreagent use
- This position will be funded by a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges grant

**Location**:

- **NICD, Sandringham, Johannesburg**

**Key performance areas**:

- Protein biochemistry (recombinant protein expression and purification, performing serological assays including:

- Antibody characterization including ELISA/Luminex binding assays
- Mammalian cell culture (sterile technique, maintenance, and cryopreservation of cell lines)
- Molecular biology (nucleic acid extractions, plasmid preparation, PCR and cloning)
- Preparation of Sanger-dideoxy and Illumina sequencing libraries
- Participate in training staff/students/collaborators

**Required minimum education and training**:

- **PhD in Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, or a related discipline**

**Required minimum work experience and abilities**:

- **Flow cytometry and/or single-cell sorting**:

- **2 years of previous laboratory experience**:

- **Molecular experience working with mouse immunoglobulin genes**:

- **Experience working with infectious and biohazardous samples would be an asset**:

- **Experience conducting bioinformatic analyses using command line tools and competency coding in either**:

- **Python, Julia, or R would be especially advantageous**

**Desirable additional education, work experience, and abilities**:

- Competence in at least three key performance areas
- Good verbal and written communication skills
- High level of computer literacy
- Exceptional self-management, conscientious work ethic as well as above average attention to detail
- Motivated, organized, systematic and professional
- Should be able to work under pressure with efficient multitasking
- Must be willing to work after hours occasionally, as needed
- High-level problem-solving ability

**TO APPLY**:

- Only if you do meet the minimum job requirements and experience as mentioned above, you may submit a detailed updated CV.
- Please take note that the applicants who do not adhere to the above criteria will not be considered for the respective position.
- Note AJ Personnel is fully POPI compliant.
- Note WHC, in accordance with their Employment Equity goals and plan, will give preference to suitable applicants from designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and subsequent amendments thereto.

**Please note**:

- **AJ PERSONNEL is only responsible for the advertising of the advertisement on behalf of their client Wits Health Consortium.**:

- **AJ Personnel does not have any salary or other information regarding the position.