Assistant, Associate, Professional Researcher

Position Overview

Salary range: $93,400-$125,400 for Assistant Professional Researcher; $116,200-$152,400 for Associate Professional Researcher; $136,400-$258,900 for Full Professional Researcher.

Potentially fill 6 positions.

The California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), one of seven NIH supported National Primate Research Centers, invites applications for Assistant, Associate, or Full Professional Researchers. The Professional Researcher title is the University equivalent of Professor of Research. Like professorial titles, it has a ladder (Assistant to Associate to Full). Unlike other professorial titles, it has no required teaching associated with it.

The CNPRC advances translational and comparative biomedical research through the responsible use of nonhuman primate models and related activities. The CNPRC maintains a colony of approximately 5,000 rhesus macaques and the only laboratory colony of titi monkeys in the world, supporting a collaborative community of Core Scientists and numerous affiliate and visiting investigators, as well as scientific core services. The CNPRC is part of the University of California, Davis animal care program, and a globally recognized research institution and home to the nation's top ranked School of Veterinary Medicine, a leading School of Medicine, and Colleges of Engineering and Biological Sciences.

UC Davis is internationally recognized for excellence in our animal care program, biological sciences, and translational research. Campus partners and resources include the UC Davis Genome Center, Clinical and Translational Science Center, MIND Institute, Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging to name a few, each providing extensive opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and translational research.

The area of research focus is open. Successful candidates will establish a rigorous, externally funded, independent research program that leverages nonhuman primate models and integrates complementary in vitro, in silico, and other New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), to enhance translational impact, mechanistic insight, and scientific rigor. Research programs that advance the CNPRC mission as a national biomedical research resource while incorporating innovative methodological approaches are particularly encouraged.

The Professional Researcher will develop and lead an independent, creative, and high-quality research program equivalent to that required in the Professor series. The appointee assumes major responsibility and leadership for the program and is expected to secure extramural funding as a Principal Investigator, or as a co-Principal Investigator within a larger center or collaborative grant when the research activities constitute an independent program.

Appointees do not have formal teaching responsibilities.

The appointee will serve as a Core Scientist of the CNPRC. Core Scientists are integral members of the intellectual infrastructure of the program and provide scientific expertise regarding the use of nonhuman primates in biomedical research and translational applications. In this role, the Professional Researcher contributes to the scientific direction, collaborative environment, and national resource mission of the CNPRC.

The Professional Researcher is required to develop and sustain an independent research program aligned with the CNPRC mission and NIH NPRC priorities. The appointee will design and conduct innovative studies utilizing nonhuman primate models and will integrate their research with in vitro systems such as organoids, advanced cellular models/organs-on-a-chip, and multi-omics platforms, in silico approaches such as computational biology, bioinformatics, modeling, and AI-driven analytics, and other NAMs that complement in vivo primate research and enhance translational and mechanistic insight.

The appointee will advance comparative, mechanistic, or disease-focused research relevant to human and animal health, publish findings in peer reviewed journals as first, senior, or corresponding author, and establish and maintain a nationally recognized research program.

The Professional Researcher will develop and submit competitive grant applications as Principal Investigator and maintain sustained extramural funding to support research personnel and infrastructure. The appointee may contribute to large programmatic or center grants consistent with maintaining an independent research focus.

As a Core Scientist within the CNPRC, the Professional Researcher will provide scientific expertise regarding the use of nonhuman primates in research conducted by Core, Affiliate, and Visiting Scientists, and will collaborate across Scientific and Core Service Units to enhance the effectiveness of the CNPRC as a national research resource. The appointee will devote a minimum of 10 percent of total professional effort to activities that directly support the…