Sr. Biological Scientist

Job Description

The Department of Molecular Biosciences is home to approximately 24 full‑time faculty, over 70 graduate students, and offers courses to approximately 1,200 undergraduate students. The department pursues excellence in the following programmatic research areas:
Genome Integrity, Bacterial Pathogenesis, Molecular Biophysics and Systems Biology, Biomedical Sciences and STEM Ed. We offer two Bachelor of Science degree programs, two Non‑Thesis Master of Science programs, two Thesis Master of Science programs and two doctoral programs.

We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Biological Scientist to conduct high‑impact research in molecular biology and environmental toxicology. The successful candidate will have strong expertise in molecular biology, oxidative stress, and DNA damage response, with a particular emphasis on measuring DNA damage induced by diverse environmental toxicants and elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms. This position will focus on investigating mechanisms of toxicant‑induced and oxidative stress–mediated DNA damage and genome instability in biological systems, as well as advancing high‑throughput and translational comet assay–based platforms for genotoxicity and toxicological assessment.

The candidate will play a central role in the development, optimization, validation, and implementation of novel comet assay technologies, including instrumentation development, assay standardization, quality control, and comparative performance evaluation against conventional comet assay systems.

A successful candidate is expected to work independently and actively engage in all research and scholarly activities of the laboratory, including experimental design and execution, data analysis and interpretation, identification of DNA damage mechanisms associated with environmental exposures, and development of new research directions. The role involves close collaboration with engineers and interdisciplinary teams to integrate biological assays with hardware and software components.

Additional responsibilities include mentoring students and trainees, preparing manuscripts, contributing to grant and patent applications, and presenting research findings at scientific conferences.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in molecular biology and environmental toxicology, experience working with human‑derived samples, and demonstrated expertise in measuring DNA damage endpoints resulting from environmental and chemical exposures. Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams to meet project milestones and funding timelines are essential.

This is a time‑limited position. Anticipated end date is August 6, 2030.

• 35% Research Design and Experimental Execution:
  Independently plans, designs, and performs research using genotoxicity testing and molecular biology–based experiments to investigate DNA damage and oxidative stress induced by environmental and chemical toxicants. Duties include experimental design, biological sample preparation and handling, execution and optimization of genotoxicity assays, and application of molecular biology techniques to assess genome instability in support of funded research objectives.
• 25% Assay Development, Validation, and Instrumentation Integration:
  Develops, optimizes, and validates novel and high‑throughput genotoxicity testing platforms. Responsibilities include protocol development, assay standardization, quality control, troubleshooting technical issues, and comparative performance evaluation against established genotoxicity assessment methods. Collaborates with engineers and multidisciplinary teams to integrate genotoxicity testing workflows with instrumentation and software components to enhance performance, scalability, and translational relevance.
• 15% Data Analysis, Interpretation, and Scientific Documentation:
  Performs critical evaluation, statistical analysis, and interpretation of data generated from genotoxicity testing and molecular biology–based experiments. Prepares figures and reports, maintains accurate experimental records, and…