Job Details
Primary Work Address: 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, 20147
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The Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus is a pioneering research center in Ashburn, Virginia, where scientists pursue fundamental questions in the life sciences. Our integrated teams of biologists, computational scientists, and tool-builders innovate research practices and technologies to solve biology's deepest mysteries. HHMI launched Janelia in 2006, establishing an intellectually enriching environment for scientists to do creative, collaborative, hands-on work. We share our methods, results, and tools with the scientific community.
Summary:
"Janelia's Project Teams have had a disproportionate impact because the tools and datasets they generate accelerate the work in hundreds of laboratories. Similar activities are rare in academia, largely due to limitations imposed by career structures and funding mechanisms" (Rubin and O'Shea, 2019)
Project Teams provide a unique mechanism for tackling experimentally challenging, trans-disciplinary problems using team science approaches. In a hybrid model between biotech and academics, Project Teams use Team Science approaches to generate research-enabling products and datasets of value to Janelia and the broader scientific community. The most notable products generated by Janelia Project Teams are the GCaMP family of calcium sensors (GENIE Project Team), Drosophila driver lines and neuron image datasets (FlyLight Project Team), the fly brain and VNC connectome (FlyEM Project Team), visual datasets of individual mouse brain neurons morphologies (MouseLight Project Team), and machine learning-based reconstructions of all the organelles in volume EM-imaged cells and tissues (CellMap Project Team). All the above efforts are beyond the scope and often time horizon of an academic laboratory. A key principle of Project Teams is that their work products are made open and available early, often before publication. By broadly sharing these resources, Project Teams enable rapid scientific discoveries both at Janelia and beyond. More information can be found at Janelia Project Teams.
About the Role:
We are recruiting an Associate Project Scientist for a new Small Project Team: Func-E-Worm (Functional and Electron Microscopy mapping of the Worm). Func-E-Worm will map out how cells self-organize and communicate to create a functional animal throughout its lifespan. We will do this by generating ultrastructural information spanning the lifetime of C. elegans using Enhanced FIB-SEM and combining it with single cell gene expression data into a unified, dynamic functional and morphological model.
The Associate Project Scientist is the central hub of Project activity and is responsible for directing, contributing to, and reporting on all aspects of the project. The Associate Project Scientist will work with members of the Steering Committee to ensure Project success. They should excel in a highly collaborative environment, thrive on intellectual interactions, and find connections between diverse groups.
What We Provide:
- An intellectually ambitious environment that encourages broad thinking and problem-solving to tackle big problems that reshape scientific fields.
- Opportunity to engage with leading scientists across diverse subject areas.
- A diverse team looking forward to exploring how your unique background, talents, and interests could contribute to the Project Team Department's successes.
- A competitive compensation package with comprehensive health and welfare benefits.
- Professional development opportunities can potentially lead to the full Project Scientist role and a career beyond the traditional academic track.
What You'll Do:- Provide scientific input and leadership on the Func-E-Worm Project Team.
- Collaborate and generate an end-to-end workflow from sample preparation to EM segmentation, including neurons and organelles in C. elegans.
- Collaborate on generating a scRNA-seq dataset that can be registered with EM data.
- Work with computational colleagues to develop processing pipelines.
- Demonstrate your interest and knowledge of C. elegans cell biology to accelerate achieving the project's goals.
- Contribute directly to multiple aspects of the Project Team.
- Manage the overall research project, with the potential to grow into personnel and budget management.
- Develop frameworks for data sharing and assessment of progress toward research goals.
What You Bring:- A doctoral or professional degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) in a scientific field is required.
- Experience working in a scientific environment or research organization is required.
- Experience communicating with both a scientific and lay audience about science is required.
- Experience working with and conceptual knowledge of C. elegans biology, single cell sequencing, and/or connectomics experience is preferred.
- Experience developing presentation materials for audiences at different levels of abstraction.
- Experience in a Team Science environment and with project management or willingness to learn.
- Post-doctoral research is preferred.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a highly collaborative team.
- Excellent organizational, conceptual, and interpersonal skills.
- Interest in engaging in ground-breaking research in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
Please include a cover letter with your application connecting your background with the role.
Physical RequirementsRemaining in a normal seated or standing position for extended periods of time; reaching and grasping by extending hand(s) or arm(s); dexterity to manipulate objects with fingers, for example using a keyboard; communication skills using the spoken word; ability to see and hear within normal parameters; ability to move about workspace. The position requires mobility, including the ability to move materials weighing up to several pounds (such as a laptop computer or tablet). Work may involve possible exposure to malodorous vapors, low dose radiation, contamination by toxic chemicals and acids and presence of carcinogenic substances or other hazardous materials.
Persons with disabilities may be able to perform the essential duties of this position with reasonable accommodation. Requests for reasonable accommodation will be evaluated on an individual basis.
Please Note:This job description sets forth the job's principal duties, responsibilities, and requirements; it should not be construed as an exhaustive statement, however. Unless they begin with the word "may," the Essential Duties and Responsibilities described above are "essential functions" of the job, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Compensation and Benefits Our employees are compensated from a total rewards perspective in many ways for their contributions to our mission, including competitive pay, exceptional health benefits, retirement plans, time off, and a range of recognition and wellness programs. Visit our Benefits at HHMI site to learn more.
Compensation Range
$78,870.00 (minimum) - $98,500.00 (midpoint) - $128,040.00 (maximum)
Pay Type:
Annual
HHMI's salary structure is developed based on relevant job market data. HHMI considers a candidate's education, previous experiences, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity when making job offers. Typically, a new hire for this position in this location is compensated between the minimum and the midpoint of the salary range.
HHMI is an Equal Opportunity Employer