Junior​/Assistant​/Associate​/Specialist Biological Science

Junior/Assistant/Associate/Full Specialist – Biological Science (Advanced Bioimaging Center)

Position Overview

Position title:

Junior/Assistant/Associate/Full Specialist
Percent time: 100%
Anticipated start:
Winter/Spring 2026
Position duration:
One-year appointment with potential renewal based on performance and funding availability

Salary
The current full‑time base salary range for this position is $55,000 – $194,800. Off‑scale salaries may be offered to meet competitive conditions.

Location
Berkeley, CA

Position Description

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley seeks up to three specialists in the Upadhyayula Lab, focusing on Biological Science. The Advanced Bio Imaging Center (ABC) is a multidisciplinary imaging hub that drives advances in imaging technology and disseminates these innovations to scientists worldwide. The role involves close collaboration on new and ongoing projects in microscopy and data analysis, working with tera‑ to petabyte‑scale imaging data.

Duties

• Operate and maintain next‑generation multi‑functional adaptive optical microscopes and other pre‑commercial optical microscopes.
• Develop new imaging and data processing tools.
• Assist with data acquisition using advanced pre‑commercial microscopy systems, imaging biological samples from cells in culture (e.g., bacteria, mammalian cells, organoids) to intact organisms (e.g., zebrafish, mice).
• Apply these tools for biological imaging, collaborating with postdocs and graduate students on specific projects to test, learn, and implement for general and specific use cases.
• Work with an expert team, including computational scientists and biologists, to design experiments that address complex biological questions quantitatively.
• Train and assist students and researchers in the use of software applications and in performing imaging or data processing tasks.
• Might supervise undergraduate students.
• Organize and manage software documentation.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent international degree) or enrollment in a bachelor’s program.

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent international degree).

Preferred qualifications

• Degree in molecular & cell biology, computational biology, computer science, mathematics, physics, or related field.
• Research experience in computational biology, computer science, mathematics, physics, or related field.
• Programming experience (C++, LabVIEW, MATLAB, Python).
• Experience with design, documentation, testing, and implementation of high‑performance software for image processing.
• Experience with CI/CD for software deployment.
• Experience developing software for tera‑ to petabyte‑scale imaging applications.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Organized and detail‑oriented.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Interest in learning new techniques.
• Upper‑division coursework in genetics (strongly preferred).
• Coursework in molecular biology and biochemistry.
• Proficiency in bioinformatics and computational analysis of datasets.
• Basic molecular biology techniques.
• Ability to design and interpret experiments.
• Ability to prepare figures for manuscripts.
• Demonstrated teamwork proficiency.

Application Requirements

• Curriculum Vitae (most recently updated).
• Cover Letter.
• Statement of Research (optional).
• References: 3 required (contact information only).

Equal Opportunity Employer

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.