Research Scientist

Salary Range: $85,500.00 To $92,850.00 Annually

The Institute for Medical Research (IMR), an affiliate of the Durham VA Health Care System (DVAHCS)

Durham, NC (On-site – VA Medical Center)

Full-Time

$85,500 - $92,850

To be determined

The Institute for Medical Research, an affiliate of the Durham VA Health Care System (DVAHCS), is looking for a Research Scientist to join our multidisciplinary clinical research team under Dr. Christopher Woods. A successful candidate will play a central role in advancing cutting-edge research within the Veterans Health Administration by supporting several existing studies and initiating new hypothesis-driven research within the DVAHCS.

This incumbent will work closely with the Research Program Manager and the MERL Laboratory Director. The incumbent’s first-level manager is the Principal Investigator, Dr. Christopher Woods. The incumbent will have the opportunity to work with research personnel, MDs, PhDs, and other clinical staff at the DVAMC and other VHA stations.

Location:

This is an in-person role with 4-5 days a week in-office. Candidate is required to work from the Durham VA Medical Center.

• Design, plan, and conduct collaborative research projects aligned with the research priorities of the Woods group and the VHA
• Perform and oversee advanced laboratory techniques
• Support management of large clinical specimen biorepositories, including maintaining inventories and corresponding annotations

• Ensure appropriate annotation and storage of derived datasets, including experimental keys, and raw and processed data
• Participate in the extraction, processing and analysis of large-scale datasets using established and novel pipelines
• Collaborate with bioinformatics and computational teams to extract, analyze, and interpret data
• Apply statistical and machine learning approaches to derive meaningful biological and epidemiological insights from complex datasets

• Prepare manuscripts, research reports, and presentations for peer-reviewed publication and scientific conferences
• Contribute to grant writing and funding applications in support of research group priorities
• Provide training, mentorship, and scientific guidance to students, fellows, and research staff as appropriate
• Collaborate with other research staff to ensure study milestones and objectives are met
• Collaborate with internal and external partners, including administrative, regulatory, clinical, computational, and translational teams

• Support and execute day-to-day operational decisions as appropriate
• Maintain detailed and accurate laboratory records and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in compliance with institutional and regulatory standards
• Ensure compliance with laboratory biosafety protocols, IRB/IACUC requirements, and local/national VHA research policies
• Contribute to the management, maintenance, and quality assurance of laboratory equipment and reagents
• Participate in study meetings, conference calls, and leadership discussions

Work requires a terminal degree in a relevant scientific field.

• Proven track record of peer-reviewed publications in relevant scientific literature
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex scientific findings clearly to diverse audiences
• Ability to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team

• Postdoctoral research experience in…