USAMRIID Antiviral Drug Discovery and Infectious Disease Research
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The Department of Defense (DoD) is offering a postdoctoral fellowship at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command – Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRDC MRIID).
What will I be doing?
As an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) participant, you will engage in efforts to advance translational antiviral drug discovery. Research activities will include recombinant protein expression and purification, biochemical screening assay development, computational structural modeling, cell-based antiviral validation studies, and exposure to preclinical small-animal research models.
Why Should I Apply?
Under the guidance of a mentor, you will engage in research activities that include, but are not limited to:
- Designing, expressing, purifying, and characterizing recombinant viral and host proteins to support biochemical and structural studies.
- Applying computational tools to analyze protein structure and function, identify potential binding pockets, and map small-molecule interactions.
- Developing and using biochemical and cell-based assays to evaluate candidate antiviral compounds and investigate their mechanisms of action.
- Gaining experience with high-throughput phenotypic drug screening and anti-viral assays and applying promising therapeutic candidates in organoid and zebrafish disease models, with opportunities to support subsequent preclinical small-animal studies.
- Learning research that integrates protein science, computational analysis, and antiviral drug discovery with advanced disease models, including organoids and zebrafish, to evaluate promising therapeutic candidates.
Where will I be located?
Frederick, Maryland
Appointments are initially for one year with the option to extend the appointment for up to four additional years, contingent upon project needs and funding availability.
What are the provisions?
USAMRIID's reputation has been built over the years by numerous scientists and technical staff working to protect both military personnel and civilians from the threat of infectious diseases. The Institute participates in support of emerging disease investigations, working alongside colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. As a reference laboratory for the Department of Defense, USAMRIID sets the standard for identification of biological agents. The Institute's workforce represents some of the top infectious disease and biological defense experts in the Nation—indeed, in the world. For more information about the MRIID, please visit https://usamriid.health.mil/.
The qualified candidate will be completing (by December 31, 2026) or have an earned doctoral degree in any of the disciplines listed in the opportunity's Eligibility criteria. Postdoctoral degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.
Preferred Skills:
- Experience with recombinant protein expression systems and chromatography-based purification techniques (FPLC/AKTA).
- Exposure to or an enthusiastic willingness to learn—computational structural biology tools (such as AlphaFold, PyMOL, Rosetta, or basic molecular docking software) to visualize protein-protein interactions and guide bench-level assay design.
- Exposure to small-molecule library screening and or DNA-Encoded Libraries (DEL).
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