Research Lab Specialist Senior (Scientific Project Leadership)

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

The Allada Laboratory at the University of Michigan seeks a highly motivated and scientifically sophisticated Research Lab Specialist Senior to play a central role in coordinating and advancing multiple funded research programs focused on sleep, circadian rhythms, and neurogenetics.

This position integrates scientific leadership, research project management, and laboratory operations oversight within a dynamic academic research environment. The successful candidate will work closely with the Principal Investigator to guide experimental strategy, ensure efficient execution of complex research projects, and maintain rigorous standards of experimental design, documentation, and data interpretation.

The Research Lab Specialist Senior will serve as a key intellectual and operational partner in the laboratory by helping translate broad scientific goals into clearly defined experimental plans and timelines. A major responsibility of this role is tracking experimental progress across projects, coordinating laboratory personnel, and maintaining structured systems for monitoring research milestones, including experimental logs, project schematics, and progress reports.

In addition to project oversight and staff coordination, the individual will provide technical leadership and mentorship to trainees and research staff, ensuring rigor and reproducibility of experimental workflows. The position may also include selected experimental contributions to support project momentum and methodological development.

This role offers an opportunity for a highly organized scientist to contribute meaningfully to the direction and execution of cutting-edge research programs in circadian and sleep biology.

Scientific and Technical Leadership

• Provide technical leadership and scientific oversight of complex research projects, including experimental design, troubleshooting, and interpretation of experimental results.
• Work closely with the PI to refine experimental strategies and translate research goals into actionable experimental plans.
• Promote rigor and reproducibility by ensuring consistent experimental documentation and adherence to laboratory standards.
• Train and mentor laboratory personnel in experimental techniques, project planning, and data documentation practices.
• Perform or assist with selected experimental procedures when needed to support research progress or develop new experimental approaches.

Research Project Management

• Coordinate multiple grant-funded research projects and ensure alignment with defined research milestones and deliverables.
• Develop and maintain structured systems to track experimental progress, project timelines, and research outputs.
• Review weekly research progress reports from laboratory personnel and ensure appropriate follow-up on experimental plans.
• Ensure that experimental logs, project schematics, and documentation systems are maintained consistently across laboratory projects.
• Identify potential bottlenecks in experimental workflows and work with the PI and research team to resolve them.
• Organize and facilitate project review meetings to ensure accountability and maintain research momentum.
• Assist in preparation of grant progress reports, manuscripts, and research summaries.

Laboratory Operations and Staff Coordination

• Oversee day-to-day laboratory operations to support efficient execution of research programs.
• Coordinate workflows across trainees, research staff, and collaborators to ensure alignment with project priorities.
• Assist with onboarding and training of new laboratory members.
• Promote best practices in experimental documentation, data management, and research coordination.
• Coordinate procurement of laboratory supplies, monitor laboratory inventory systems, and assist with equipment management.
• Support compliance with institutional policies related to laboratory safety and documentation.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in neuroscience, biology, genetics, bioengineering, or a related biomedical science field.

5-6 years of relevant laboratory research experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Strong background in experimental design and data interpretation in biological research.

Experience coordinating complex research projects or multi-investigator collaborations.

Demonstrated ability to guide experimental strategy and troubleshoot research workflows.

Experience mentoring trainees or supervising research personnel.

Experience contributing to scientific publications or grant preparation.

Exceptional organizational, analytical, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

PhD in neuroscience, genetics, molecular biology, or a related field.

Familiarity with behavioral, molecular, genetic, or genomic approaches used in neuroscience or circadian biology.

Michigan Medicine improves the health of patients, populations and communities through excellence in education, patient care, community service, research and technology development, and through leadership activities in Michigan, nationally and internationally. Our mission is guided by our Strategic Principles and has three critical components; patient care, education and research that together enhance our contribution to society.