Staff Scientist

The Staff Scientist will take a leading role in our research program focused on AI-informed therapeutic targets for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This person will independently manage major parts of the project, including studying the biology of promising targets, testing combination strategies with existing therapies, and investigating how resistance develops. The position involves significant responsibility for planning experiments, analyzing data, handling regulatory paperwork, contributing to grants, and training/supervising other lab members. The Staff Scientist is expected to help drive the scientific direction of the project and support its longer-term goals.

Responsibilities

Independently leads major components of the therapeutic targets project; Designs and runs experiments to study AI-informed targets in PDAC, evaluate combinations with current treatments, and examine resistance mechanisms; Helps set priorities in discussion with the PI; Plans and carries out complex in vitro and in vivo studies using PDAC models; Contributes to grant writing (including NIH applications) and prepares regulatory documents (IRB, IACUC, and IBC); Analyzes experimental data, interprets results, and judges their importance for the overall program; Writes up findings and makes intellectual contributions to manuscripts; Oversees day-to-day scientific work on the project, develops and improves protocols, maintains data quality and record-keeping, and troubleshoots technical issues; Trains and supervises postdocs, technicians, students, and other lab members; Stays current with the field by reading literature, attending meetings, and presenting data; Helps manage project resources, including ordering reagents and supplies, coordinating equipment maintenance, tracking spending, and assisting with budget planning in consultation with the PI; Other duties as assigned

Requirements

Doctoral degree in Cancer Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Experimental Pathology, or a related field; 2 years of relevant postdoctoral training required; Or equivalent combination of education and experience

Nice to have

Hands-on experience with in vivo mouse work; Experience preparing IACUC protocols; Strong background in cancer biology with demonstrated experience studying therapeutic targets, drug mechanisms, or resistance; Solid hands-on skills in molecular and cellular biology, advanced cell culture, and in vivo studies; Experience designing, executing, and interpreting complex experiments in cancer models; Experience with PDAC models (cell lines, organoids, PDX, syngeneic systems) and/or inducible gene knockdown approaches; Grant writing experience; Experience with AI-informed or computational target identification follow-up studies; Strong data analysis and organizational skills