Greenhouse Lab - Junior or Assistant Specialist

Position Overview

Junior Specialist/Assistant Specialist
Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, Department of Medicine | UC San Francisco

Location:

Mission Bay, 499 Illinois St., San Francisco, CA
Full-time (100%).

Work schedule:

Monday–Friday, 8am‑5pm.

The laboratory focuses on malaria immunology and molecular epidemiology, aiming to inform control policy via genomic data, transmission networks, and immunity studies.

• Maintain malaria genomic surveillance pipeline from sample cataloguing through advanced molecular assays and next‑generation sequencing (NGS).
• Perform high‑throughput serological assays, including Luminex and phage‑immunoprecipitation sequencing.
• Carry out malaria parasite culture and expression profiling, validate accuracy and perform computational data analysis.
• Analyze published literature to guide experimental design and contribute to scholarly publications and grant applications.
• Conduct molecular assays (RNA extraction, nucleic acid extraction, PCR, qPCR, mPCR) and whole‑genome or targeted amplicon sequencing.
• Apply statistical analysis using standardized software and custom bioinformatics scripts, interpreting results and communicating with the team.
• Develop and maintain biobank of biological samples, create relational databases with sample metadata.
• Operate and troubleshoot laboratory equipment (centrifuges, incubators, shakers, Qubit, Nano Drop, Tape Station, robotic liquid handlers).
• Identify protocol issues, investigate contamination or sequencing quality problems, and develop troubleshooting SOPs.
• Document experimental design and results in laboratory notebooks or electronic equivalents.
• Use Asana and Slack for project management and communication with global collaborators.
• Produce figures, charts, tables, and data summaries for local and international audiences.
• Draft reports on problems, methods, results, and draft conclusions; co‑author manuscripts.
• Train lab members on methods and instrumentation; perform general lab duties as assigned.

Junior Specialist

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in biology, molecular biology, or related science.
• Hands‑on laboratory experience with molecular biology techniques, including nucleic acid extraction, PCR, and NGS.
• Track record of evaluating scientific literature to guide laboratory investigation.
• Expertise in selecting appropriate laboratory methods for specific scientific questions.
• Ability to critically evaluate the quality and validity of laboratory and analytical results.
• Attention to detail and capacity to perform multi‑step assays on large sample numbers with accurate records.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple concurrent tasks, prioritize work, and meet deadlines.
• Experience running command‑line scripts (e.g., Python or R) for analysis of laboratory data.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to work as part of a collaborative team.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a research team.
• Willingness and ability to learn new methods and adapt to changing research priorities.

Assistant Specialist

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in biology, molecular biology, or related science, with 3+ years of recent, directly related experience using required techniques.
• Experience with next‑generation sequencing library preparation (short‑read and/or long‑read) and whole‑genome or targeted amplicon sequencing.
• Experience with laboratory information management systems, electronic lab notebooks, and relational database management for large‑scale sample tracking.
• Prior co‑authorship on peer‑reviewed publications.

• Experience with next‑generation sequencing library preparation and data analysis (whole‑genome or targeted amplicon).
• Experience with RNA extraction and expression profiling (bulk and/or single‑cell).
• Experience with sterile culture techniques, including malaria parasite and bacteriophage culture.
• Experience with protein production and purification.
• Experience with mPCR optimization and troubleshooting, especially with low‑biomass or challenging sample types.
• Proficiency with DNA/RNA QC instrumentation:
  Qubit,…