Position Available -  Research Rigor and Reproducibility Curriculum Fellow

Institution:      Harvard Medical School
Location:        Boston, MA
Category:       Faculty - Science
Type:              Full Time

The Research Rigor and Reproducibility (R3) initiative at Harvard Medical School (HMS) in Boston, Massachusetts is seeking an innovative, collaborative science educator to serve as R3 Curriculum Fellow (CF). The R3 CF will ­develop teaching curricula, work with faculty to modernize biomedical research training, and support the development and administration of the HMS R3 program. The fellow will be a member the HMS Curriculum Fellows Program (CFP), a postdoctoral training program for biomedical scientists interested in a variety of education-focused careers. CFs work full-time with members of the HMS faculty and administration to develop, deploy, and evaluate evidence-based graduate training while receiving mentorship and career advising to support their development as educators.

Advances in modern biomedical research require the continuous development of and support for a culture that advances research rigor and reproducibility (R3). HMS is committed to identifying, exploring, and supporting R3 principles relevant to our research community through cross-discipline conversations and collaborations. The HMS R3 Committee supports R3 through organizational development, training and educational programs, and resources and tools for our students, trainees, faculty, and staff. The R3 CF will be a critical contributor to those efforts.

Based in the Office for Academic and Research Integrity and working closely with the Office of Research Operations and the Curriculum Fellows Program, the R3 Curriculum Fellow will provide support for the HMS R3 Working Group and Faculty Advisory Committee. The CF will play a key role in developing R3-related curriculum and in cataloguing, developing, implementing, and maintaining HMS resources related to research rigor and reproducibility. Some specific duties and responsibilities of the R3 Fellow will include:

  1. Assisting the R3 committee and R3 Working Group in the planning, implementation, data collection, review, and presentation of an HMS community-wide R3 Preliminary Landscape Analysis
  2. Working with HMS Graduate and Medical Education units, the Office for Postdoctoral Fellows, HMS faculty, and others to expand and develop R3-relevant curricula and training programs at HMS, and to make available some basic R3 course material as online training modules via the Harvard Training Portal
  3. Assisting the R3 committee and R3 Working Group in the development, implementation, and maintenance of the HMS R3 website

Qualifications:

  • An earned Ph.D. in a biomedical science
  • The ability to interact with various R3 stakeholders including faculty at all levels, information technology professionals, and project managers
  • Postdoctoral research or teaching experience (preferred)
  • Demonstrated interest in the metascience of research and data integrity, data management
  • Knowledge of the research data lifecycle in the academic laboratory environment
  • Job Skills and Competencies:
    Strong interest in keeping up with emerging trends, best practices, and new knowledge in the fields of data management, the research data lifecycle, and information technology
    Ability to engage with faculty, administrators, other researchers, and lab managers to integrate their input and ensure R3 projects fully reflect their directives and priorities
    Strong organizational skills, communication skills (written, oral and presentation); a concern for accuracy, details, and quality
    Tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty in a constantly evolving field
    Adaptability and ability to prioritize work and to be flexible in job tasks
    Highly self-motivated and directed

The Curriculum Fellow’s appointment is renewable annually for a maximum of three years and is non-tenure-track. The fellowship is intended for early-career scientist-educators, therefore applications from candidates with more than 5 years of postdoctoral research or teaching experience are discouraged. Fellows are appointed as research associates, with possible promotion to the rank of Lecturer, contingent on experience and performance. The R3 Curriculum Fellow position is open for an immediate start. Applications are currently being accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis with the goal of filling the position as soon as possible.

To apply:

Applicants should include a single PDF document containing:

(1) a letter of application that addresses your interest in and qualifications for the position

(2) a curriculum vitae

(3) a teaching statement

(4) the names and contact information of three professional references

Email application materials to cfp@hms.harvard.edu, attention Dr. Bradley Coleman, Director of the HMS Curriculum Fellows Program.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.
Posted August 21, 2020

Position Available - CryoEM Specialist

Cryo-EM Specialist

Harvard Medical School houses two core facilities providing access to negative stain and cryo-EM instrumentation; we are looking for a highly motivated scientist to join our team.  The Harvard Cryo-EM Center for Structural Biology, formed as a consortium between HMS, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital, serves the consortium members and a variety of external academic and commercial users (https://cryoem.hms.harvard.edu/).  The Molecular Electron Microscopy Suite is a training resource for Quad-based researchers at Harvard Medical School.  The successful candidate will provide support and training for researchers seeking to learn cryo-EM and negative-stain EM in these two facilities, serving as an interface between the instrumentation and a vibrant scientific community.  The candidate will work closely with a team of scientists to support COVID-19 and related projects in many research areas and will take on facility management responsibilities.

Key Roles:

  • Serve as the technical interface between users and the Talos Arctica and Titan Krios microscopes by loading samples and checking microscope alignments.
  • Train users to operate TEM microscopes, specifically the Tecnai T12, Talos Arctica, and Titan Krios; including sample preparation (negative stain and cryo-plunging), grid loading, sample screening, and data collection.
  • Advise researchers on experimental strategy and, when appropriate, collaborate with them to assist in data acquisition, analysis and structure determination, particularly with COVID-19-related work.
  • Interact closely with the core facilities’ team to manage microscope and equipment maintenance, coordinate user scheduling and training, and interface with SBGrid to assist with the computational needs of both facilities.

This position will have a high degree of independence, opportunities to present at regional and national scientific symposia and workshops, and opportunities to develop collaborative relationships with Harvard community investigators.

Requirements:

  • Ph.D. in a field related to structural biology such as cell biology or biochemistry. Experience in structural biology at the postdoctoral level is desired. 
  • Experience with negative stain EM and cryo-EM.  Cryo-electron tomography practical application and analysis experience is valuable.
  • Must be detail-oriented and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
  • Good communication and interpersonal skills.

Harvard is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications from women and minority candidates are strongly encouraged. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.

To apply, please submit a cover letter and CV to the director, Dr. Stephen Harrison, via schadmin@crystal.harvard.edu.  In the Subject line of your email, please write: Cryo-EM Specialist.

-Posted Aug 14, 2020

Postdoctoral Research Position 
Cell Biology and Mucosal Immunology

The Lencer laboratory studies how intestinal epithelial cells interact with the luminal and sub-epithelial microenvironment, and to the biology of bacterial pathogenesis and mucosal host defense. The research subjects include inflammation, ER stress and vesicular transport in polarized epithelial cells and regulation of ion transport in the intestine. Our research interests have also led to several ongoing drug discovery and product development programs. 

We have recently become interested in investigating mechanisms of biomolecular condensates in the context of epithelial biology and inflammatory bowel disease.

The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary and supportive group. In addition to great core facilities in the Longwood Medical Center the candidate will have immediate access to personnel and core facilities supported by the Harvard Digestive Disease Center https://hddc.hms.harvard.edu/. 

The candidate will help address fundamental questions in biomolecular condensate biology in context of human disease and inflammation. Collaborations with the Broad Proteomics Platform have been established to help the candidate implement novel proteomics studies to help identify novel regulators and mechanisms of the role of condensate biology in human disease. 

The candidate will address fundamental scientific questions, formulate hypotheses, design and execute experiments, analyze and interpret data, and write and publish original papers

General Qualifications:

  • A PhD degree in either biology, cell biology, molecular biology or biochemistry.
  • Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and computer skills
  • Actively seeks opportunities to increase skills and expertise
Interested applicates or questions are encourage to submit a brief cover letter and CV to wayne.lencer@childrens.harvard.edu

-Posted May 27, 2020

Department of Microbiology
Molecular Virologist (Research Scientist)

The Yang Group is currently recruiting a molecular virologist to work with a team of medicinal chemists, biochemists, and structural biologists in developing novel small molecule antivirals.  Preference will be given to individuals with prior experience with flaviviruses, but applicants with experience in any area of positive-strand RNA virology are encouraged to apply.  Most important is that you thrive working in a collaborative and fast-paced environment and that you are willing to learn and evolve as a scientist.  This is a great research scientist level position if you aren’t sure or if you are sitting on the academia versus industry fence, because you can learn skills relevant to industry while still training in an academic environment (i.e. answering questions is more important than making products).

Qualifications: A Ph.D. in molecular virology, including prior work with flaviviruses and/or hepatitis B virus is preferable.  Must be proficient in molecular biology techniques required for performing reverse genetics experiments to generate and characterize recombinant viruses.  Experience in analyzing viral gene expression and viral genome replication. Ability to independently design experiments to address mechanistic questions.  Excellent quantitative and communication skills and an ability to collaborate are essential.

Interested candidates should email Priscilla_Yang@hms.harvard.edu and include a cover letter, CV, statement of professional interests, and contact information for three letters of reference. Applicants may also send the material to Dr. Priscilla Yang, Department. of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA  02115.
-Posted June 14, 2019