Job Description

Position Title: Department: Supervisor: Position: Research Scientist I Biology

Prof. Yunha Hwang Sponsored Research Staff, Exempt, 100% effort

Pay Range (min-max): $72,000- $92,000 commensurate with experience *

The initial appointment period for this position is 1 year, with the intention to extend on an annual basis based on availability of funding and performance.

Overview:

The Hwang Lab at MIT seeks a highly motivated and experienced Research Scientist to help lead and expand our experimental efforts in enzyme discovery and biochemical characterization. Our lab develops and applies high-throughput experimental platforms to discover, characterize, and functionally annotate enzymes across diverse sequence space. We are seeking a scientist with PhD-level training and advanced bench experience who can independently design and execute high-throughput assays, mentor trainees, and help organize and scale experimental operations in a fast-moving research environment. The ideal candidate will combine strong biochemical expertise with a systems-level mindset for building robust, scalable experimental pipelines. Machine learning experience is not required. This position offers the opportunity to shape the lab’s experimental infrastructure, co-develop new assay platforms, mentor students, and contribute to high-impact publications and grant proposals.

Key Responsibilities:

Bench Research & Platform Development (~50%)

● Design, implement, and optimize high-throughput enzymatic assays (plate-based, pooled, or mass spectrometry based readouts)

● Develop scalable workflows for protein expression, purification, and functional screening

● Lead cloning and high-throughput library generation efforts (e.g., variant libraries, pathway libraries)

Lab Organization & Experimental Oversight (~25%)

● Coordinate day-to-day experimental operations related to high-throughput workflows

● Maintain organization of cloning pipelines, plasmid inventories, strain libraries, and reagent stocks

● Develop SOPs and documentation for scalable experimental procedures

Mentorship & Scientific Leadership (~25%)

● Train and mentor graduate students and undergraduate researchers in molecular biology, protein biochemistry, and assay design

● Provide guidance on experimental planning, controls, and data interpretation

● Contribute to manuscript preparation and grant writing with the PI

Required Qualifications:

● PhD in biochemistry, chemical biology, molecular biology, microbiology, or related discipline

● Minimum of 2 years of hands-on research experience in an industrial or academic laboratory setting; may include experience as a graduate student.

● Strong track record of experimental productivity (publications or equivalent research output)

● Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment

Preferred:

● Experience building or scaling high-throughput experimental platforms

● Experience with mass-spectrometry (e.g. LC-MS/MS) and metabolomics

● Familiarity with automated liquid handling systems

● Interest in machine learning and AI