Life Science Research Professional 3

Stanford University is seeking a Life Science Research Professional 3 to perform complex functions and activities involved in defined research projects, and independently conduct a major portion of the research project(s).

You will be working with an unparalleled leading-edge community of faculty and staff that are fundamentally changing the world of health care. You will have the opportunity to influence and drive change with your innovative ideas and the ability to make a difference and participate in human advancements. Our culture is fast-paced, energetic, and growing all of the time. 

We offer a variety of benefits beyond traditional medical, dental, retirement, and savings options:

• Events and programs for children, sports camps, tuition options
• World-class intellectual stimulation through learning and development classes, workshops, and onsite conferences from leading-edge speakers and faculty
• Work/life and family-friendly policies and reimbursement
• Participation in Stanford’s social responsibility and sustainable programs for a better world
• A vibrant university culture that values the uniqueness of each individual

We are seeking candidates who are progressive thinkers, see challenges as simple problems to solve, and have the spirit and energy to change the world.

About the Department of Pathology:

The Department of Pathology at Stanford School of Medicine, one of its founding departments, stands as a leader among its peers nationwide. Our preeminent faculty spans from emerging leaders to highly accomplished physicians and scientists, including a Nobel laureate and members of the National Academy. Our mission is to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and basic understanding of human disease. This is done through discovery (research), education, and clinical care.

Comprised of extraordinary faculty and staff, our mission is to improve the ability to diagnose, treat and understand the origin and manifestation of human disease, and to care for those who have or are at risk to develop disease. We accomplish this through our clinical services (in all fields of anatomic and clinical pathology, including molecular and genomic pathology, histocompatibility testing, and transfusion medicine) and research (which includes basic, translational and clinical research into the origins and manifestations of disease, including efforts to improve disease prediction and prevention as part of the goal of achieving precision medicine and health), and also by educating future leaders in pathology and related fields. Everything we do is to achieve the goals of providing the highest quality of clinical services to the patients for whom we passionately care, to advance our ability to understand, diagnose, monitor, and ultimately cure disease or to prevent or delay its occurrence, and to provide outstanding education and career development opportunities to those who share these goals.

For more information about the department visit http://pathology.stanford.edu/

Lab Overview: 

The Life Science Research Professional 3 will work in the lab of Dr. Theo Roth, MD PhD (Department of Pathology, Arc Institute, and Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy). The lab develops, applies, and translates scalable genetic manipulation technologies in primary human cells and complex in vivo tissue environments (Roth et al, Nature 2018; Roth et al, Cell 2020; Blaeschke et al, Cell 2023). Working with students, trainees, and staff with backgrounds across bioengineering, genetics, immunology, oncology, and pathology, the lab has developed CRISPR-All, a unified genetic perturbation language able to arbitrarily and combinatorially examine genetic perturbations across perturbation type and scale in primary human cells. Ongoing applications of CRISPR-All in the lab have revealed surprising capacities to synthetically engineer human cells beyond evolved cellular states. These new capacities to perturb human cell’s genetics beyond their evolved functionality drives ongoing work to understand the biology and therapeutic potential of synthetic cell state engineering - in essence learning how to build new human genes tailor made for a specific cell and specific environment to drive previously inaccessible therapeutic cellular functions.

About the Position:

Working as part of a multidisciplinary group, the Life Science Research Professional 3 will lead the design and construction of large libraries of DNA sequences for cellular engineering experiments, isolate and culture primary human immune cells and stem cells, and perform large scale pooled genetic screens. Additional major responsibilities will include next-generation sequencing library production and analysis. The LSRP will assist in grant applications, reporting, and publication of laboratory findings, as well as mentorship of technicians, trainees, and students in the laboratory. The LSRP will primarily conduct and supervise ongoing experiments within the lab’s space at the Arc Institute as well as the lab’s space within the Stanford Blood Center.

Duties Include: 

• Design research approaches for a major portion of research project(s), including background research, experimental design and execution, problem-solving, and writing up for publication.
• Develop new protocols; test and evaluate a variety of approaches.
• Perform complex (lab and/or field) experiments and maintain detailed records of experiments and outcomes; analyze and interpret research data resulting from original procedures and methods.
• Assist with new research proposals and applications for funding and grants.
• Lead or participate in multidisciplinary teams across different faculties or schools.
• Prepare periodic progress reports or written reports on all phases of the research project.
• Contribute substantively to the preparation of papers for publication, especially in the results section. Maybe a co-author on publications. Present ongoing work and findings to colleagues at academic conferences.
• Perform ongoing literature review to remain current with new procedures and related research; propose new research directions based on new advances discussed in literature.
• Work with health and safety department to ensure lab complies with regulations and all required trainings.
• Formally supervise and train new staff or students as needed, including hiring, performance management, and related duties, in addition to instruction on techniques and consultation on project work.

* - Other duties may also be assigned