FTE Junior Specialist Dr. Yiu's lab UC Davis Eye Center

Salary range: A reasonable estimate for this position is $27.30 an hour at Step 1 or $ 29.08 an hour at Step 2.

Junior Specialist Position

Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science

UC Davis School of Medicine

The laboratory of Glenn Yiu, M.D., Ph.D. in the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science at UC Davis School of Medicine is seeking a 45% FTE Junior Specialist (BA- or BS-level research assistant) to work closely with the principal investigator on research projects involving ocular imaging, retinal cell biology, genome engineering, and gene therapy. Dr. Yiu is a clinician-scientist who combines work as a retinal surgeon with translational and clinical research in retinal diseases, with a focus on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), gene editing, and gene therapy across mouse, nonhuman primates, and human studies.

As such, the successful candidate will be exposed to cutting‑edge technologies and research in vision science and eye diseases. More information about the principal investigator and reading center can be found at:
Yiu Lab:

Translational Retinal Research Laboratory | UC Davis Eye Center.

The incumbent will participate in the following duties:

Research (85%): The Junior Specialist will be actively and significantly involved in publishable research activities through the following roles and duties:

• Acquisition and processing of in vivo ocular imaging data from optical coherence tomography (OCT) and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) images including adaptive optics from mouse, macaque, or human subjects.
• Dissection, processing, and histology of mouse or macaque tissues.
• Bioinformatics and analysis of single-cell or bulk RNA‑sequencing (scRNA‑seq or RNA‑seq) data.
• Management, grading, and organization of image data from human clinical studies.
• Shared lab duties, such as ordering and maintaining lab supplies, maintaining equipment, and maintaining compliance.
  -Preparing scholarly manuscripts and figures for publication in peer‑reviewed journals
  -Preparing and presenting oral abstracts at local, regional, and national conferences

Professional Competence (10%):

• The candidate will be expected to attend symposia and conferences, participate and contribute to departmental and other seminars, journal clubs, and other activities, as applicable.
• The incumbent will present research at regional and appropriate national meetings such as ARVO and AAO. Presentations will be delivered in poster and/or oral format.

University and Public Service (5%):

• Candidate will be expected to mentor undergraduates in the lab, participate and contribute to laboratory and group meetings and other activities, as applicable.
• As a full‑time research group member, this position includes responsibility for maintaining safety standards and meeting regulatory requirements, staff training, and mentoring.

Depending on the interest and availability of funds, the Junior Specialist will have opportunities to present research findings to a larger audience at scientific conferences or meetings. The incumbent will also assist the principal investigator in presenting progress reports and final summaries to granting agencies as well as lab meetings with other investigators. The Junior Specialist will mentor undergraduate students from UC Davis.

He/She will actively contribute to lab activities through staff meetings and presentations to colleagues and researchers from various scientific communities.

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

The qualified candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in biological, bioengineering, or computational sciences, preferably with experience in bioinformatics/genomics, image processing, or computer science. The job also requires a…