CryoEM Facility Director; Assistant Project Scientist), Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

The SB2EM (Santa Barbara Structural Biology Electron Microscopy) facility at UC Santa Barbara seeks a CryoEM Facility Director (Asst Project Scientist) to support, manage, and enhance our state-of-the‑art cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo‑EM) program. Under the general direction of the Department chair, the Facility Director will contribute to the facility’s scientific, technical, and operational goals, enabling cutting‑edge research in single‑particle analysis (SPA), Micro

ED, cryo‑CLEM, and in situ tomography. The role emphasizes hands‑on research support, user training, facility operations, and collaborative project development.

This academic position offers a unique opportunity to work in a highly interdisciplinary environment, providing scientific support for diverse internal and external research groups, including academic and industry collaborators. The Facility Director (Asst. Project Scientist) is expected to use their professional expertise to make scientific and scholarly contributions to the research enterprise of the University and to achieve recognition in the professional and scientific community.

The Facility Director (Asst Project Scientist) will have considerable independent input into the planning and execution of CryoEM research projects in the SB2EM facility.

This role involves training, mentoring, and supervising undergraduate, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty users in cryo‑electron microscopy (cryo‑EM) methodologies and safe instrument operation. A key responsibility is monitoring compliance with laboratory safety standards and EH&S policies. The position requires providing technical expertise and scientific advice to research teams engaged in structural biology and microscopy projects. The individual will conduct data collection and preprocessing using state‑of‑the‑art instrumentation, support research users with their microscopy sessions, maintain sample preparation equipment and cryogenic supplies, as well as guiding researchers with analysing data and preparing results for publication.

The Facility Director provides comprehensive technical support for cryo‑electron microscopy (cryo‑EM) instruments, including the Glacios2, Aquilos2 cryo‑FIB/SEM with iFLM, and the Titan Krios. Coordinating and/or performing the use and maintenance of the CryoEM instruments by facilitating and supporting remote users, maintaining records, general organization and upkeep of the lab, etc.

The Facility Director collaborates with UC Santa Barbara faculty to acquire funding for facility instrumentation. Coordinating with faculty to assemble competitive proposals by designing, preparing, and submitting proposals for instrumentation grants, supplemental grants, or other external funding.

This role designs and conducts workshops to train researchers on cryo‑EM: design experiments, sample prep, data gathering and analysis, and preparation for data publication. This includes training researchers on the safe use the Glacios and Aquilos instruments and analysis software.

The Facility Director manages the facility’s recharge program, along with creating budget plans for equipment maintenance, upgrades, and service contracts. A key responsibility is coordinating facility scheduling and managing user access through established systems, while also participating in rate‑setting and recharge model planning. The position requires a high degree of collaboration with faculty to support grant applications for instrumentation and operational improvements.

Solicits usage by outside clients from industry and supervise fee‑for‑service data collection and analysis services.

The Facility Director role also requires meticulous documentation of service schedules, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and performance logs. A significant portion of the work is dedicated to microscopy operations, which includes preparing cryo‑EM samples through vitrification and grid screening.