Assistant/Associate Project Scientist

ASSISTANT/ASSOCIATE PROJECT SCIENTIST

The Assistant/Associate Project Scientist in the laboratory of Gerald Lipshutz will help lead the studies needed to conduct IND-enabling data collection to advance gene therapy approaches for metabolic disorders. The Assistant/Associate Project Scientist will also be responsible for helping to supervise graduate students and undergraduate student researchers, assist in preparing grant progress reports, manuscripts for publication in scientific journals, and assist with the preparation of grant proposals. This position requires a Ph.D. in molecular biology or related field and a minimum of 4 years of experience as a postdoctoral researcher in molecular biology, virology, experimental medicine, neuroscience, physiology, or cell biology. Other related fields will also be considered. The Assistant/Associate Project Scientist position is a non-Senate position for 12-months in the first instance. Step is commensurate with experience.

Start Date; April 1, 2024

The assigned project in a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and NIH funded laboratory is focused on advancement of a gene therapy approaches for several metabolic disorders that result in brain injury and intellectual disability. While aspects of the investigation will involve improving our understanding of the neurologic basis of the brain injury, a significant portion of the studies will involve collection of IND-enabling data in mouse models that will be used in a package to submit to the FDA for an INTERACT meeting. This will require a large amount of analysis using mouse models of these disorders.

Specific Responsibilities include:

Responsibilities of this position include data acquisition, statistical computation, preparation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), cataloging specimens, storage of specimens, routine molecular biology techniques such as qPCR, RT-PCR, Western Blot, and immunostaining. Assistance in data analysis will be needed. Additional responsibilities include murine blood and tissue collection and preparation of DNA and RNA for downstream study.

Additional Duties:

• Supervision of undergraduates, graduate students, and new postdoctoral trainees in the lab- Ability to work on multiple projects efficiently and effectively
• Ability to work independently on scientific projects
• Assist with preparation of progress reports
• Preparation of manuscripts for publication in scientific journals
• Required to communicate well with other scientists at UCLA and national/international collaborators
• Candidate should have at least 4 years postdoctoral research experience in molecular biology in an academic setting or equivalent
• Candidate should have the ability to be well-organized in both data and specimen collection and in record keeping
• The candidate will report directly to the Principal Investigator and will successfully carry out experiments and analyze the data generated with minimal supervision
• Ability to handle several projects simultaneously
• Ability to help and train various personnel in molecular biology techniques and analysis and make significant contributions to the design and execution of other laboratory members' experiments
• The candidate must be able to keep detailed records and be extremely organized with the development and close following of SOPs as data from these studies will be used for an FDA INTERACT meeting.

The pay for this position ranges from $71,500- 107,600.