King Lab | Open Positions
About the Institute for Protein Design
Located at the University of Washington in Seattle, the Institute for Protein Design is a unique interdisciplinary environment where world-class researchers create new proteins that solve modern challenges in medicine, technology, and sustainability. Joining our team means becoming part of one of the largest and most innovative public universities in the world. Your work here will support scientific inquiry and help ensure that laboratory breakthroughs lead to positive impact.
About the King Lab
The King Lab at the Institute for Protein Design is a world leader in applying computational protein design to develop new protein-based technologies for medical applications. A recent focus of the lab has been structure-based vaccine design, including antigen and nanoparticle immunogen design. This has generated a licensed vaccine for COVID-19 and multiple vaccine candidates now in clinical trials, including an RSV/HMPV combination vaccine that recently completed Phase II trials.
About the Research
The King Lab leverages cutting-edge protein design tools—many of them machine learning-based—to tackle a range of challenges in vaccinology and nanomaterials. Our projects interface with computational design, immunology, and structural characterization, often with an eye toward translational impact.
Our vaccine and adjuvant design efforts focus on engineering next-generation immunogens and delivery platforms. This includes the design of stable, biologically relevant antigens from diverse pathogens (e.g., viruses, bacteria, parasites); de novo glycoproteins that modulate immune trafficking via encoded glycan signatures; protein-based adjuvants that stimulate innate immune receptors; and mRNA-launched nanoparticle vaccines that combine the benefits of rapid genetic delivery with multivalent antigen presentation.
In parallel, our work in novel protein nanomaterials seeks to create new classes of self-assembling proteins with tailored architectures and functions. These include pseudosymmetric and asymmetric nanostructures, hybrid biomaterials incorporating lipids and nucleic acids, and customizable scaffolds for membrane protein display. We are also developing general design strategies for embedding functional modules—like antigens or adjuvants—into these assemblies.
We also maintain a small portfolio of projects in the biologics delivery space, including the design of de novo membrane fusogens and the development of improved systems for packaging and releasing molecular cargo.
We welcome applications from late-stage PhD students, recent PhD graduates, or early-stage postdocs excited to help shape the future of protein design, and encourage applicants to explore our lab’s website and recent publications to get a sense of our current directions. We’re especially excited to hear how your ideas align with and extend our vision.
In this position you will:
- Conduct research to computationally design and experimentally characterize novel biomolecules
- Mentor graduate and undergraduate students
- Participate in regular lab meetings
- Publish results in scientific journals
- Present research results to peers, including at conferences
- Participate in professional development activities
Please email king-postdoc-applicants@ipd.uw.edu and neilking@uw.edu with your interest. Please briefly describe your PhD and/or current research, and why you are interested in the King lab.