"Life Science Research Professional 2"

About the Department of Pathology

The Department of Pathology at Stanford School of Medicine, one of its founding departments, stands as a leader among its peers nationwide. Our distinguished faculty spans from emerging leaders to highly accomplished physicians and scientists, encompassing a Nobel laureate and members of the National Academy. Our mission is to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and basic understanding of human disease. This is done through discovery (research), education, and clinical care.

Comprised of extraordinary faculty and staff, our mission is to improve the ability to diagnose, treat and understand the origin and manifestation of human disease, and to care for those who have or are at risk to develop disease. We accomplish this through our clinical services (in all fields of anatomic and clinical pathology, including molecular and genomic pathology, histocompatibility testing and transfusion medicine) and research (which includes basic, translational and clinical research into the origins and manifestations of disease, including efforts to improve disease prediction and prevention as part of the goal of achieving precision medicine and health), and also by educating future leaders in pathology and related fields. Everything we do is to achieve the goals of providing the highest quality of clinical services to the patients for whom we passionately care, to advance our ability to understand, diagnose, monitor and ultimately to cure disease or to prevent or delay its occurrence, and to provide outstanding education and career development opportunities to those who share these goals.

For more information about the department visit http://pathology.stanford.edu/

About the Lab:

The Schuele lab works on gene discovery and novel stem cell technologies to generate stem cell models from patients with Parkinson’s disease to understand the underlying causes of neurodegeneration and to develop biomarkers and new therapies for Parkinson’s disease.

http://www.schuelelab.site/

About the Position:

We are seeking a motivated LSRP2-level Research Specialist to join the Schuele Lab with an emphasis on patient-derived stem cell model development for Parkinson’s disease. The successful candidate will support the generation, maintenance, and characterization of stem cell–based disease models, including iPSC culture and differentiation into relevant neural cell types such as neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Responsibilities include executing and optimizing differentiation protocols, performing routine molecular and cellular assays (e.g., immunocytochemistry, microscopy, qPCR and/or flow cytometry as needed), maintaining detailed experimental records, and contributing to rigorous data collection and analysis. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys hands-on bench work, values reproducibility, and is excited to apply stem cell technologies to neurodegeneration research.

Duties Include:

• Independently conduct a portion of the research project(s). Make recommendations on experimental design and/or research direction to the principal investigator.
• Independently conduct complex (lab and/or field) experiments to gather data for a portion of a major research project.
• Interpret and analyze results, often where few guidelines exist, and make modifications to existing procedures and protocols.
• Develop new research protocols where appropriate protocols are not described in the literature or where modification or adaptation of standard procedures and protocols is required.
• Participate in multidisciplinary teams across different faculties or schools.
• Perform ongoing literature review to remain current with new procedures and related research; apply to ongoing research and development of new protocols.
• Contribute substantively to the preparation of papers for publication, especially in the results section, and to the publication of findings. Present ongoing work to colleagues and/or academic conferences.
• Oversee supply and equipment budget under the supervision of the principal investigator or business manager.
• Work with the health and safety department to ensure the lab complies with regulations and all required trainings.
• Supervise (either formally or informally) staff or students as needed, including oversight and direction on techniques, as well as consultation on project work. Serve as a technical resource for other research staff.
• Oversee the daily activities of the laboratory, including lab maintenance; maintain lab stock, manage chemical inventory and safety records, and provide general lab support as needed. May assist with purchasing laboratory equipment.

- Other duties may also be assigned

Desired Qualifications:

• Human iPSC culture and disease modeling experience, including maintaining pluripotent stem cells and differentiating them into neuronal and glial lineages in 2D and/or 3D systems; ability to scale cultures and execute time-course studies.
• Demonstrated experience generating and interpreting quantitative cellular/molecular datasets using quantitative or absolute RT-PCR, immunofluorescence staining/imaging, and flow cytometry/FACS for lineage composition, maturation state, stress responses, and phenotypic readouts.
• Experience analyzing differentiation QC metrics (e.g., marker expression distributions, cell composition by FACS, imaging-based quantification), identifying failure modes (batch effects, line-to-line variability), and protocol adjustments (media, timing, plating density, patterning factors).
• Proven ability to develop, optimize, and validate functional assays relevant to neurodegeneration and glial function (e.g., phagocytosis, oxidative stress paradigms, and α-synuclein fibril-based assays), including defining controls, acceptance criteria, and documentation/SOPs.
• Experience supporting long-read sequencing workflows for repeat expansion disorders, including preparation and QC of high-molecular-weight DNA, support of library preparation, and review of run metrics/QC outputs.
• Basic bioinformatics comfort (or strong willingness to learn), such as running established analysis pipelines, performing routine QC checks, and managing data/metadata in a reproducible way.
• Experience coordinating with internal and international collaborators and/or cores for omics and sequencing logistics, including sample documentation/metadata, QC requirements, timelines, and (as needed) compliant specimen shipment processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to provide weekly written updates, summarize QC trends, prepare figures/tables for manuscripts, and present work to lab meetings and scientific audiences; experience mentoring/training BS/MS students or rotating trainees is preferred.
• Familiarity with lab operations (inventory, ordering, equipment scheduling/maintenance) and commitment to a strong culture of safety in cell culture and molecular biology environments.

Education & Experience (Required):

• Bachelor's degree in related scientific field and two years of relevant work experience; or Master’s degree in a related scientific field.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (Required):

• Comprehensive understanding of scientific principles.
• General computer skills and ability to quickly learn and master computer programs, databases, and scientific applications.
• Strong analytical skills and excellent judgment.
• Ability to maintain detailed records of experiments and outcomes.
• Ability to work under deadlines with general guidance is essential.
• Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to accurately complete detailed work.

The expected pay range for this position is $85,376 to $99,581 per annum.