Scientific Research Associate - Jonsson Cancer Center

Description UCLA's Jonssson ComprehensiveCancer Center is a multidisciplinary matrix organization at UCLA and anintegral member of a network of 69 comprehensive cancer centers through theUnited States that are mandated by federal legislation and supported by theNational Cancer Institute. The UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center hasbeen designated "comprehensive" by the National Cancer Institute since 1976.The NCI granted UCLA gold-star comprehensive status for maintaining the higheststandards of excellence in research, education and patient care.
The newly formed Cancer DataSciences group at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA Jonsson CancerCentre is seeking a Scientific Research Associate. The successful candidatewill have at least 15 years experience as a senior scientific researchassociate or laboratory manager, or equivalent, focused on cancer genomics andfunctional biology. They will have experience setting up new researchlaboratories, including coordinating initial health & safety andprocurement, as well as hiring and training of new staff. They will be workingwith a broad team of quantitative analysts, including Statisticians, DataScientists, Clinical and Basic trainees, and other bioinformaticians. They willdrive the generation of large molecular and imaging datasets of very highquality and using a mixture of established and novel strategies. They will alsocoordinate the molecular and functional validation of key results fromlarge-scale data science studies, providing key links to support deeper insightinto function and mechanism. They willbe passionate about generating high-quality results, with a careful approachthat identifies potential confounders and sources of error, and a track recordof reproducible results and scientific publication. This will entail workingwith closely and collaboratively with many others, ranging from trainees totechnical staff to local and international collaborating faculty to vendors. Inthis internal- and external-facing role, it will be key that the successfulcandidate has a clear focus on training the next-generation of talentedscientists at all levels, and serves as a role model for professionalscientific interactions. In addition to strong laboratory experience, this rolerequires a strong background in biology (PhD anticipated) to help ensure theright questions are asked, but linked to strong technical and personalcommunication skills, to help ensure insights are broadly adopted andappropriate experiments are performed. The successful candidate will be helpingus perform research that will transform the lives of cancer patients.
Your responsibilities will beto use your biological and laboratory skills to establish the wet-lab componentof UCLA's new Cancer Data Sciences group, building out the physical space,equipment, procurement, protocols, sample banking, driver studies and training.This work will focus across a range of cancer types and experimentaldata-types, ranging from cell culture models to primary patient samples. Youwill typically have several different projects or components thereof underwayat the same time, and will work closely with our colleagues in the UCLA JonssonCancer Centre Genomics Core, the UCLA Institute for Precision Health and theUCLA Institute for Urologic Oncology, amongst many others. The successfulcandidate will be integrally involved in the hiring of new team members, anddirectly supporting their training and on-boarding. The successful candidatewill also serve as a key external-facing voice with vendors, includingnegotiating contracts and interacting with the appropriate groups throughoutUCLA to ensure timely project completion and meeting of all local, national andinternational guidelines and procedures. Prior experience working in thewet-lab component of a large cancer data science group would be considered akey asset.
Salary range: $29.41 - $58.14 Hourly

Qualifications Required: Working knowledgeof R, Perl or Python programming. Understanding of molecular biology. Strongverbal, interpersonal, and written communication skills. Basicunivariate and probabilistic statistical understanding. Knowledge of LINUX/Unix operatingsystem, and source-code versioning systems. Applied experience with NGS, proteomics or radiomic data (>1year).
Preferred: Experience with applied machine-learning(e.g. hyperparameter optimization). Working knowledge of containerization (e.g. Docker, Singularity). Data Visualization experience. Computer science knowledge, includingsoftware design patterns. Knowledge ofrelational database software (e.g. Oracle, Postgres). Master's or PhD Training in ComputationalBiology, Computer Science, Biostatistics or a related discipline. Skill in keeping accurate and organizedexperimental records. Skill inanalyzing, developing and adapting established experimental methods to specificresearch needs. Knowledge of basicstatistical methods to be able to compute ratios, percentages and to summarizedata using graphs. Working knowledge ofexperimental designs. Proficiency inmaintaining a lab notebook. Skill inanalyzing scientific data. Skill indeveloping and conducting scientific studies. Ability to coordinate and negotiate contracts for the purchase,maintenance and repair of laboratory equipment. Ability to maintain inventory of chemicals and laboratoryequipment. Knowledge of and ability tocontrol safe and efficient use of laboratory equipment, supplies andspace. Skill in maintaining laboratoryequipment and in seeking qualified assistance when necessary. Ability to instruct new and continuinglaboratory personnel in experimental procedures and in the use of facilitiesand equipment. Ability to searchrelevant publications and information. Ability to develop or learn new techniques. Abilities to resolve complex experimentalissues to implement long range plans. Skill in setting priorities when there are deadline pressures, competingrequirements, and heavy workloads. Skillin performing a variety of duties, changing from a duty/task to another of adifferent nature. Skill in managingresearch lab staff. Ability to followinstructions. Ability to give apresentation in Lab. Ability to maintain confidentiality of records andinformation. Ability to detect andcorrect grammatical and spelling errors in written correspondence. Ability to maintain files accurately, inpaper and in software programs. Abilityto effectively supervise personnel and complete all associated personnelactions in a timely and accurate manner. Ability to assist students/ technicians in the use of laboratoryinstruments and equipment. Ability toeffectively operate a chemistry laboratory and direct student employees. Ability to interact professionally withindividuals of diverse backgrounds and educational levels. Ability to work cooperatively with otherpersonnel. Preparation of manuscriptsfor publication into scientific journals. Ability to effectively communicate verballyand in writing. Ability tointeract in an effective and appropriate manner with diverse populations, theUniversity community and the public.