Research Scientist Senior

Job Description - RESEARCH SCIENTIST SENIOR (T238711)

RESEARCH SCIENTIST SENIOR - ( T238711 )

Description

The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Ophthalmology Department, is in search of a Research Scientist Senior to join their team.

A Research Scientist Senior oversees substantial research projects, providing expert guidance and ensuring rigorous scientific standards. This role involves a broader scope of responsibility, including project management, cross-functional collaboration, and securing funding through grant proposals. Senior scientists exercise considerable discretion in research decisions and play a pivotal role in shaping the research agenda. Depending on the research focus, this position may involve research collaborator contact, research animal contact, and/or specimens.

• Coordinate and conduct scientific research, including independent evaluation of research projects, experimental design, and adaptation or modification of standard and advanced scientific methodologies.
• Design, perform, and oversee preclinical and translational studies related to metabolic diseases, including diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, obesity, cardiovascular complications, and gut microbiome-associated disorders.
• Maintain detailed laboratory notebooks and ensure adherence to Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and institutional safety regulations.
• Manage and maintain laboratory records, inventories, animal colonies, databases, and regulatory documentation.
• Attend and actively participate in laboratory meetings, departmental seminars, journal clubs, and scientific conferences.
• Design and conduct gastroenterology research studies focused on gastrointestinal physiology, gut microbiome-host interactions, intestinal inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and the gut-retina/gut-metabolic disease axis.
• Perform data collection, management, and analysis while ensuring data integrity, quality assurance, protocol compliance, and reproducibility of results.
• Prepare statistical analyses, scientific reports, research summaries, figures, graphs, presentations, and manuscripts for publication and grant applications.
• Supervise and perform quality control procedures and contribute to the development, validation, and implementation of new research methodologies.
• Develop, write, submit, and maintain Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols and ensure compliance with institutional, federal, and ethical guidelines.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, including investigators, clinicians, trainees, and research staff, to support study objectives and research initiatives.
• Train and provide technical guidance to laboratory personnel, students, and research trainees on experimental procedures and laboratory best practices.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

$81,525- $ 132,475

Doctorate degree in a related field and three (3) years of related experience OR Master's degree in a related field and five (5) years of related experience OR Bachelor's degree in a related field and seven (7) years of related experience required. Work experience may NOT substitute for education requirement.

• Ph.D. or equivalent research experience in biomedical sciences, physiology, gastroenterology, metabolism, immunology, molecular biology, or a related field.
• Experience with translational research, grant writing, and publication of scientific manuscripts.
• Familiarity with multi-omics approaches, systems biology, and microbiome-host interaction studies.
• Experience investigating the role of gut microbiome in metabolic diseases.
• Extensive knowledge of IACUC policies, animal research regulations, and protocol development.
• Experience designing and executing studies related to metabolic diseases, including diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, obesity, insulin resistance, and associated complications.
• Experience conducting gastroenterology and gastrointestinal research, including studies involving gut microbiota, intestinal physiology, inflammatory bowel disease, liver-gut interactions, metabolic syndrome, and microbiome-based therapeutic approaches. Proficiency in flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), spatial transcriptomics, epigenetic analyses, immunofluorescence staining, and molecular imaging techniques.
• Experience performing and analyzing echocardiography, electroretinography (ERG), histological assessments, and…