Application Instructions:

Employment History Include your last ten (10) years of employment history, or length of your employment history if less, including all positions (even those that are not relevant to this position) and periods of unemployment. Incomplete information could disqualify you from further consideration.

POSITION SUMMARY

A Project Scientist position is immediately available at the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, California. The Project Scientist will be working with Dr. Pamela Maher, who combines expertise in cell culture studies of neurodegeneration with animal models relevant to aging and neurodegenerative disease. The Project Scientist will be using these methodologies to pursue research questions concerning mechanisms underlying the loss of cognitive function during aging and in neurodegenerative diseases.

Project Scientists make significant contributions to a research project. The Project Scientist is expected to work independently in a support role under the general guidance of a PI.  Goals or objectives of projects are set by PI and are accomplished within a prescribed time frame and funding parameters. This position is expected to establish a work plan and staffing for each phase of the project and demonstrate success in a technical field. A Project Scientist is also responsible for overseeing the scientific progress of an assigned project, including setting priorities, planning procedures, coordinating activities of team members, allocating/securing resources and equipment, recording, integrating and reporting results of project phases and team, training team members and determining flow of activities between departments.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

R & D (70%)

• Plans and executes project work under general guidance of supervisor
• Performs hands-on work in laboratory
• Effectively interprets scientific data, sets priorities and makes decisions based on scientific data
• Collaboration and coordination of project activities with other researchers in a team setting

Project, resource, team, collaboration and time management (20%)

• Work with other team members to meet deadlines and adhere to timelines

Writing, administration, communication (10%)

• Documents work progress in periodic progress reports and notebooks
• Effectively communicates in the form of written reports and lab presentations

EXPERIENCE

Required:

• Minimum of 3 years Post PhD experience

EDUCATION

Required: 

• PhD degree or equivalent in biological sciences or related field

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Required:

• Tissue culture
• Advanced molecular cloning techniques
• Protein purification and analysis
• Development of high throughput screening assays including positive and negative controls
• Development and implementation of inducible protein expression systems
• Effective at trouble shooting problems with molecular cloning, protein purification, etc.
• Provide guidance to technicians and post-docs on diverse techniques

Preferred:

 Experience with:

• Molecular cloning into plasmids and viral vectors
• Inducible expression systems in mammalian cells
• Protein interaction methods and protein purification
• DNA-protein interaction methods
• Molecular biology techniques such as Western blotting, PCR, etc.
• Working with cancer data bases 

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Must be willing to work in an animal-related research environment.
• Satisfactory completion of the Institute’s background investigation.
• Willing to sign a confidentiality agreement

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

This position requires constant adjusting focus, grasping, hearing, keying, seeing, sitting, talking, analyzing, calculating, communicating, reading, reasoning, writing, and working inside.