Open Rank Project Scientist Position – Donaldson Lab – Microbiome Vaccine Program (MVP) of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA Full-time

Open Rank Project Scientist Position – Donaldson Lab – Microbiome Vaccine Program (MVP) of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA

UCLA's Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics is seeking to fill a full-time Open Rank Project Scientist position. The Project Scientist candidate will perform research on gastric microbiota, interactions with gastric epithelia, and colonization resistance against Helicobacter species. This role is for a project in the Gregory Donaldson Lab within the Microbiome Vaccine Program (MVP) of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA. The Project Scientist position is a 12-month non-Senate position.

Specific responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:

1. Designing and implementing technical approaches for microbiological culturing from human samples from different regions of the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Tissue culture of epithelial cells in monolayers and organoids, developing, validating, and using co-culture assays with both bacteria and epithelial cells in anaerobic and microaerophilic atmospheres.
3. Overseeing organization, storage, and record keeping for a bacterial strain collection associated with project.
4. Implementing animal models of colonization resistance.
5. Coordinating efforts across laboratories for sharing of samples, reagents, and protocols
6. Training junior members of the lab on techniques in microbiology, molecular biology, tissue culture, and animal work.
7. Assist with preparation of bi-annual progress reports for the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center and other overseers of the project.
8. Assist with preparation of patents and/or manuscripts for publication.

Minimum qualifications:

• Ph.D. (or equivalent) in Microbiology or related field
• 4 years post-PhD experience in culturomics, microbiome screening, or related topics
• Experience with anaerobic bacteria and animal models
• Preferred experience with Helicobacter species

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