Research Assistant Professor

University of Rochester:
Office of the Provost:
University of Rochester Medical Center:
School of Medicine and Dentistry:
Biochemistry and Biophysics

** Salary Range or Pay Grade*
* $52,000.00 - $113,000

** Description*
* The Center for Advanced Research Technologies (CART) at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) seeks an experienced and highly motivated Technical Director to lead the operations of the Cryo-Electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM) Resource Center. This individual will provide scientific, technical, and operational leadership for a growing cryo-EM facility that supports a vibrant research community.

The Cryo-EM Resource Center is in the process of installing a Thermo Fisher Scientific Glacios 3 cryo-TEM, equipped with a Selectris energy filter and Falcon 4i direct electron detector. The Technical Director will play a central role in overseeing instrument commissioning and maintenance, method development, user training, and day-to-day operational management. The successful candidate must be highly responsible, reliable, and technically oriented, with excellent interpersonal skills.

The Technical Director will have the opportunity to shape the direction of a growing cryo-EM program and play a key role in advancing cutting-edge research.

This role offers a supportive, collaborative environment and excellent opportunities for career advancement.

Key Responsibilities

+ Oversee the installation, calibration, commissioning, and ongoing optimization of the Glacios cryo-EM platform with Selectris energy filter and Falcon 4i detector, along with additional planned instrumentation acquisitions.

+ Develop, validate, and maintain cryo-EM workflows for sample preparation, data acquisition, and data quality assessment.

+ Collaborate effectively with the Director of CART, the Scientific Director of the Cryo-EM Resource Center, and adjacent CART core facility leaders.

+ Provide expert consultation to investigators on experimental design, sample suitability, data collection strategies, and optimization for cryo-EM and cryo‑ET applications.

+ Stay current with advances in cryo-EM instrumentation, detectors, image processing software, and best practices, and implement improvements as appropriate.

+ Oversee daily operations of the Cryo-EM Resource Center, ensuring high instrument uptime, data quality, and efficient scheduling.

+ Establish and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for instrument use, safety, and maintenance.

+ Coordinate instrument maintenance and service contracts, working alongside service engineers and support teams to ensure optimal instrument performance, proactive maintenance, and rapid troubleshooting.

+ Coordinate the transfer and storage of instrument data in collaboration with networking and IT support teams.

+ Manage facility budgets, recharge rates, usage reporting, and contribute to long-term planning for facility growth.

+ Design and deliver comprehensive training programs for new and existing users, including sample preparation, microscope operation, and data acquisition.

+ Supervise and mentor facility staff, as applicable.

+ Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and service‑oriented environment for internal and external users.

+ Assist users with troubleshooting experimental challenges during data collection.

+ Collaborate with URMC faculty on grant proposals, methods development, and interdisciplinary research projects.

+ Contribute to publications, core facility acknowledgments, and center-related research outputs, as appropriate.

+ Represent the Cryo-EM Resource Center within URMC and to external partners, vendors, and scientific communities.

** Qualifications*
* Required Qualifications

+ Ph.D. in structural biology, biophysics, biochemistry, cell biology, or a related field, or equivalent advanced degree with significant cryo-EM experience.

+ Extensive hands-on experience operating cryo-electron microscopes for high-resolution structural biology.

+ Demonstrated expertise in cryo-EM sample preparation, data collection strategies, and data quality metrics.

+ Proven ability to lead a shared research facility or complex scientific instrumentation environment.

+ Strong communication,…