Research Engineering/ Scientist Assistant, Department of Chemical Engineering

Job Posting Title:

Research Engineering/ Scientist Assistant, Department of Chemical Engineering

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Hiring Department:

McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Aug 16, 2025

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

At the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, we lead pioneering research in vital areas such as energy and the environment, human health, materials and manufacturing. We educate students who go on to transform industries, benefit society and improve quality of life. Our undergraduate and graduate chemical engineering programs are consistently ranked in the Top 10 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report . And with more than 8,000 alumni around the planet innovating, inventing, and leading, we embody the UT vision: what starts here changes the world .

UT Austin, recognized by Forbes as one of Americas Best Large Employers , provides outstanding employee benefits and total rewards packages that include:

• Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)

• Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options

• Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays

• Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with employer matching funds

• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b)

• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses

Purpose

This laboratory position will provide technical support for experiments aimed at understanding the contributions of different bacterial proteins towards immune evasion as well as a general lab support role. Specific duties will involve cloning bacterial genes followed by expression/ protein purification and biochemical experiments to evaluate structure/ function relationships as well as identify immunogenic and protective epitopes on selected proteins. This position will also provide general support activities for the lab, including supply management.

Responsibilities

• Make experimental progress on specific projects as assigned, including: design of experiments and literature research; cloning, expression, purification, and characterization of proteins of interest; biochemical protein binding assays, protein activity assays.

• Maintain detailed records of work performed, organization of items generated and development of SOPs. Prepare data reports, presentations, and figures for sharing with scientists, conference talks and posters, manuscripts and grants.

• Provide support for general lab activities, including ordering needed supplies, receiving packages, equipment maintenance, media preparation.

• Training, support, and mentorship of Maynard and collaborating lab members.

• Other related functions as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in microbiology, biochemistry, chemical engineering, or biomedical engineering

• Experience reading and analyzing scientific literature

• Experience performing relevant laboratory techniques, including bacterial growth, cloning (PCR, sequencing, plasmid preparation), protein purification by affinity chromatography, protein-protein binding assays such as ELISA

• Passion for bacterial pathogenesis and vaccine development

• Understanding of biochemical analyses of binding and resulting data

• Familiarity with quantitative strategies to plan experiments and analyze data

• Training in specific techniques will be provided, as needed

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Strong organizational and record-keeping practices

• Proficiency with:

• Microsoft Office Suite (especially Excel)

• PyMol / Chimera or equivalent structural biology software

• Benchling or equivalent lab data management system

• GraphPad or equivalent data analysis/graphing tools

• Produce antibodies and bacterial cultures and analyze related data

• Work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment

• Communicate proactively and effectively with others

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with open-ended laboratory efforts in a research lab setting preferred over course-based laboratory experiences

• Excellent organizational skills

• Effective time management skills

• Strong problem-solving skills

• Ability to work independently and creatively

Salary Range

$35,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work around biosafety hazards and chemicals.

• May work around standard office conditions

• Laboratory work requires manual dexterity and mobility.

• Occasional evening or weekend work likely.

• Repetitive use of keyboard at workstation.

Work Shift

• Standard work schedule is Monday Friday, 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.

• Periodic work outside of normal business hours, to include evenings and weekends, may be required on a periodic basis.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left-hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractors legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The universitys company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 .

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.