Hourly Research Scientist (Internship) JR-0001464
Applications due 4/3/25
Health Research, Inc. is seeking an Hourly Research Scientist to work within the Division of Translational Medicine at the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health to assist in the implementation of a novel purification method to isolate ribosomes from small volumes of cell culture. Ribosomes are protein-synthesizing molecular machinery that are a primary target of antibiotics used to treat bacterial diseases. Recently, a technique called RAPPL (RNA Affinity Purification using Poly-Lysine) has been developed as a simple, cost-effective, and rapid method to purify active ribosomes from small cell culture volumes. The incumbent will assist in optimizing this method for purifying ribosomes from Escherichia coli (Eco) cell cultures, assess its efficacy of purification to previous ribosome purification methods such as sucrose fractionation, and then apply it to purify ribosomes from other cell cultures, such as Mycobacterium smegmatis (Msm). The work may involve activities including but not limited to ordering supplies, buffer preparation, bacterial cell culture, ultra-centrifugation, sucrose fractionation, RNA gel separation, protein gel separation, cryo-electron electron microscopy grid preparation, and related biochemical assays. This is a great opportunity to learn cutting-edge techniques used in scientific research that is geared towards solving major public health issues.
This position is part of the Pathways to Public Health Internship Program. This position will last approximately 10 weeks from 6/2/2025 to 8/8/2025. It is made available through funding from the Center for Disease Control's Public Health Infrastructure Grant to expand opportunities to strengthen career pathways to public health by bringing together students of all disciplines and academic levels with public health professionals to create a space of exploration, learning, and development.