Junior Specialist – Wang lab Full-time NEW

Junior Specialist – Wang Lab

The Wang Lab at University of California, San Francisco is seeking a highly motivated Junior Specialist to participate in translational neuroscience, human neurophysiology, and basic science research focused on understanding the neural and immune mechanisms underlying neurological disease and movement disorders. The long-term goal of this work is to better understand symptom pathophysiology and inform the development of targeted therapies, including immune-modulating treatments that bypass the blood-brain barrier.

This position will support studies aimed at establishing a robust biorepository of skull bone marrow, blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain tissue collected as byproducts of neurosurgical procedures or remnants of clinically indicated diagnostic testing. The Junior Specialist will also participate in human neurophysiology research conducted in the operating room (OR) and clinic to investigate neural activity patterns underlying movement disorders and related symptoms.

Primary responsibilities include consenting research participants; coordinating and collecting biospecimens; assisting with intraoperative and clinical neurophysiology data collection; processing, storing, and organizing biological samples; and coordinating sample transport between UCSF and the ARC Institute. The candidate will assist with computational, neurophysiology, and translational data analysis, maintain accurate research records and databases, and contribute to data interpretation, figure preparation, and manuscript development for ongoing studies.

The Junior Specialist will work closely with clinicians, scientists, and research staff in a highly collaborative environment spanning neurosurgery, neurology, immunology, and computational neuroscience. Additional responsibilities include supporting laboratory operations and administration, such as supply and order management, ensuring protocol and regulatory compliance, maintaining laboratory organization, and assisting with onboarding and orientation of new laboratory members. Other duties may be assigned as needed to support the research mission of the laboratory.

Required Qualifications:

• Specialists appointed at the Junior rank must possess (or be in the process of obtaining) a baccalaureate degree (or equivalent degree) or have at least four years of research experience.
• Applicants must meet the degree requirement for the Specialist rank by the time of hire.
• Experience with basic wet lab research techniques, including molecular biology methods, pipetting, sample processing, and cell preparation/storage.
• Experience or willingness to learn clinical and translational research workflows, including patient consenting, biospecimen collection, processing, and coordination between clinical and research sites.
• Ability to assist with the establishment and maintenance of a biorepository containing skull bone marrow, blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain tissue samples collected during neurosurgical procedures or clinically indicated diagnostic testing.
• Familiarity with data collection, organization, and analysis, including computational and neurophysiology-related data processing.
• Strong organizational and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple responsibilities in a fast-paced clinical research environment.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively on research projects, including planning and executing experiments and contributing to data interpretation and manuscript preparation.
• Ability to handle laboratory administration duties, including order entry, maintaining protocol and regulatory compliance, and orienting new laboratory members.
• Applicant materials must clearly list and document qualifications upon submission.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience in translational neuroscience, immunology, neurology, neurosurgery, or related biomedical research fields.
• Experience working with human biospecimens and/or clinical research participants.
• Experience with computational analysis, neurophysiology analysis, or biostatistical/data science tools.
• Independent specialized research experience demonstrated through prior projects, presentations, or publications.
• The ideal candidate will be highly organized, detail-oriented, adaptable, and enthusiastic about translational neuroscience, clinical research, and human neurophysiology.

See Table 24B for the salary range for this position. A reasonable estimate for this position is $57,000 – $60,700.