Microbiology Research Program Sr. Specialist

About The Department The Department of Microbiology in the Biological Sciences Division advances our understanding of microorganisms and their roles in health, disease, and the environment. Faculty and trainees investigate fundamental and translational questions spanning bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic biology; microbial pathogenesis; host–microbe interactions; microbiome science; antimicrobial resistance; and microbial genomics. Our work integrates molecular, cellular, and system-level approaches to uncover mechanisms that shape infectious and chronic diseases and to drive innovation in diagnostics, therapeutics, and public health.

Department BSD MIC - Khader Lab
About The Department The Department of Microbiology in the Biological Sciences Division advances our understanding of microorganisms and their roles in health, disease, and the environment. Faculty and trainees investigate fundamental and translational questions spanning bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic biology; microbial pathogenesis; host–microbe interactions; microbiome science; antimicrobial resistance; and microbial genomics. Our work integrates molecular, cellular, and system-level approaches to uncover mechanisms that shape infectious and chronic diseases and to drive innovation in diagnostics, therapeutics, and public health.

Job Summary The Microbiology Research Program Senior Specialist supports and advances complex microbiology research programs under the direction of the Principal Investigator (PI), with an emphasis on vaccine development and translational research.
This role leads the execution of research projects, aligns technical milestones with program goals, and ensures all activities meet rigorous standards of scientific quality and regulatory compliance.
The Senior Specialist independently performs and oversees highly technical laboratory work, implements standardized protocols, and ensures the accuracy, reliability, and validity of team-generated data.
As a cross-functional subject matter expert, this position provides guidance on best practices, troubleshoots complex experimental challenges, and translates research findings—spanning vaccine candidates, antigen discovery, immune response characterization, and assay development—into actionable insights for product, clinical, or public health applications.
This position is well-suited for an experienced microbiology professional who combines deep technical expertise in microbiology and vaccine-related research with strong programmatic, regulatory, and communication skills.
This at-will position is wholly or partially funded by contractual grant funding which is renewed under provisions set by the grantor of the contract.
Employment will be contingent upon the continued receipt of these grant funds and satisfactory job performance.

• Assist the PI by directing the execution of microbiology research programs and aligning technical milestones with overall program goals, including projects focused on vaccine discovery, optimization, and evaluation.
• Manage high-impact research initiatives, including those related to vaccine development (e.g., antigen selection, formulation studies, immunogenicity assessments), ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope, and to high scientific standards.
• Implement and oversee quality assurance of research performed by others to guarantee the accuracy, reliability, and validity of data, particularly for studies informing vaccine candidate selection and preclinical evaluation.
• Implement standardized protocols and manage data to prevent errors across all pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases of a study.
• Provide guidance on best practices and input into protocol development for microbiology and vaccine-related methods, including assay validation and optimization relevant to vaccine research.
• Troubleshoot complex laboratory challenges and interpret test results; investigate and recommend alternative approaches to improve the quality and consistency of results across microbiology and vaccine development workflows.
• Independently perform a wide range of highly technical and complex research and laboratory tests and…