Assistant or Associate Project Scientist​/Scientific Managing Director - NSF Center Genetica

Assistant or Associate Project Scientist/Scientific Managing Director - NSF Center for Genetically Encoded Materials - Department of Chemistry

Position title: Scientific Managing Director

Salary range: The UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and step  the following table(s) for the current salary scale(s) for this position: https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). The current base salary range for this position is $76,700 -$115,400. 'Off-scale' salaries, which yield compensation that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions.

Percent time: 100%

Anticipated start: Spring 2026

Position duration: Initial one-year appointment with possible reappointment dependent on performance, project needs, and budget

Open date: December 19, 2025

Next review date:
Sunday, Jan 4, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date:
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

The Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley seeks applications for an Assistant Project Scientist or Associate Project Scientist, who will work closely with Professor Alanna Schepartz as a Scientific Managing Director. The primary responsibilities of this position will be to design, perform, and analyze experiments relevant to the research mission of the NSF Center for Genetically Encoded Materials (C-GEM).

C-GEM is repurposing the ribosome, nature's protein synthesizing machine, to biosynthesize genetically encoded, sequence-defined chemical polymers and natural product-like molecules with unprecedented structures, functions, and activities. C-GEM's goal is to transform the way scientists design and produce materials and medicines.

• Independently design and execute experiments related to C-GEM's research aims
  • Perform rigorous analysis, interpretation, and compilation of experimental data
  • Develop and optimize novel synthetic methodology for C-GEM science
  • Plan and contribute to discussions on the determination of future project directions.
  • Remain up to date with the latest scientific literature in the field of genetically encoded materials, peptide chemistry, and any other relevant C-GEM subfields to inform research direction.
  • Prepare and publish manuscripts in high-impact journals
  • Present primary research findings at seminars and conferences.
  • Maintain clear documentation of protocols, analyses, and results
  • Prepare figures and text summarizing findings for grant reporting
  • Train junior lab members, including graduate students and undergraduate researchers, on specific experimental techniques and lab best practices.
  • Offer project-specific research guidance to graduate students and undergraduate researchers (troubleshooting, project arc development, etc).
  • Provide feedback on fellowship applications, manuscripts, and research presentations prepared by junior lab members as needed.
  • Identifies synergies between groups with otherwise disparate research programs and encourages these collaborations.
  • Identifies gaps in C-GEM expertise and proposes solutions (collaborations, guest speakers, etc.).
  • Tracks C-GEM interdisciplinary activities and milestones for reporting and improvement purposes.
  • Facilitates intellectual property development (patents, technology licensing) in conjunction with C-GEM faculty, tech transfer offices, and industrial partners.
  • Per the C-GEM data management plan, promotes public accessibility of C-GEM work through preprints and deposition of data and reagents into appropriate repositories.
  • Oversees Executive Committee review and decisions on ad-hoc proposals from potential new Seed Investigators.
  • Oversees distribution of C-GEM career development funds to graduate students and postdocs.
• Supervisory duties
  • Provides general direction to a reportee and ensures completion with respect to all Center programming needed to meet strategic plan objectives and broader impact goals. Programming includes but is not limited to: GEM-inars (research talks from non-C-GEM academic speakers), All-Hands (C-GEM team research presentations), C-GEM SURP, community outreach, project meetings (small-group collaboration updates), and other ad-hoc guest speakers. Develops and organizes team retreat conferences and public forums to present C-GEM research.
• Manages C-GEM financial and HR resources
  • Develops a complex annual $4M+ budget based on Executive Committee review and Director recommendations from a competitive internal funding process.
  • Oversees post-award research administrators to gather expenditure information for subawards and Berkeley grant accounts, generate projections, and ensure…