About the role
AI summarisedPostdoctoral researcher leading an independent monoclonal antibody discovery program against bacterial pathogens within A*STAR IDL. The role combines microbiology, immunology, genomics, and translational biology to develop novel therapeutics against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, with mentorship toward scientific independence.
ResearchOnsiteA*STAR Infectious Disease Labs
Key Responsibilities
- Take intellectual leadership of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) research program targeting bacterial pathogens
- Define research priorities, milestones, and experimental strategy in alignment with the broader AMR and infectious disease program
- Identify and develop novel scientific directions within bacterial mAb discovery and translation
- Support and contribute to antigen discovery and prioritisation strategies, informed by bacterial genomics, surface biology, and clinical relevance
- Analyse target conservation, expression, and accessibility across diverse bacterial isolates
- Design and conduct experiments for monoclonal antibody generation, screening, and characterisation
- Perform and interpret binding and functional assays (e.g. bactericidal, neutralisation, or opsonophagocytic assays)
- Contribute to optimisation and selection of promising antibody candidates
- Contribute to in vitro and in vivo evaluation of antibody candidates, in collaboration with internal and external partners
- Integrate experimental findings with genomic, phenotypic, and clinical data
- Maintain high standards of data quality, reproducibility, and documentation
- Prepare figures, internal reports, and manuscripts for publication
Requirements
- PhD in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Immunology, or a related field, with a proven track record in Immunology
- Several years of postdoctoral experience in antibody discovery, immunology, or bacterial pathogenesis
- Demonstrated hands-on experience with monoclonal antibody generation and/or functional characterisation
- Strong track record of peer-reviewed publications appropriate to career stage
- Experience designing and executing experiments with a high degree of technical rigour
- Ability to work independently on defined projects while contributing effectively to a team-led research program
- Strong scientific communication skills, both written and oral
- Experience working on bacterial pathogens preferable
- Familiarity with antigen discovery approaches, including genomics-, proteomics-, or bioinformatics-informed target selection
- Experience with functional assays relevant to antibacterial antibodies (e.g. opsonophagocytic killing, neutralisation, bactericidal assays)
- Experience in animal models and vaccine development
- Exposure to preclinical or translational research environments, including collaborations with clinicians or industry preferable
- Experience mentoring students or junior researchers
- Motivation to progress toward scientific independence within a supportive, mentored environment
- Intellectual curiosity and the ability to think strategically about experimental design and data interpretation
- Collaborative mindset, with the ability to work effectively across disciplines
- Organised, self-motivated, and able to manage multiple workstreams with guidance and support
- Interest in translational research and real-world impact