Independent Contractor Biophysics Research Jobs (NOW HIRING)

PAY GRADE: 31E

CONTEXT OF THE JOB:

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry is housed within the College of Arts and Sciences and offers nationally recognized graduate and undergraduate programs. The department currently consists of 40 faculty members, approximately 187 undergraduate students, and 167 graduate students. The department runs approximately 512 class sections per year. Annual department research expenditures total approximately $10M per year, with a total fiscal responsibility of $15M per year.

The National Institutes of Health Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (NIH-COBRE) program has recently funded a 5-year, $12 million program entitled Center for Biomedical Research Excellence in Multiscale Biomolecular Sensing. The Center seeks to develop and enhance UD's research infrastructure associated with the field of biomedical research. Administratively, the Center consists of a Principal Investigator & Program Director (Professor Donald Watson) to whom the professional will report directly, two co-directors (Professor Catherine Grimes and Professor Xinqiao Jia), a Core Director (Professor Mary Watson), and internal and external faculty and medical experts from institutions around the country, comprising the Advisory Committee. The Center is comprised of four faculty members (currently) from three on-campus departments (Biological Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Materials Science & Engineering,) and two colleges (Arts & Sciences, and Engineering), which is expected to expand as the Center grows.

Under limited supervision, the Manager of the Biophysical Core Lab will oversee a suite of highly complex scientific instruments to make various biophysical and biochemical measurements. They acquire new instrumentation, adopt existing instrumentation, train users, recruit new users to the core, and oversee the implementation of a sustainable cost-recovery model.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with leadership of a newly established NIH-funded Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) to develop and implement a Biophysical Research Core Lab to support biochemical and biophysical research within the center and across the UD campus.
• Oversee the planning, acquisition, installation, training, and maintenance of the instrumentation of the lab.
• Help design and execute workflows for characterization of biomolecules and biomolecular interactions using the lab instrumentation.
• Train undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers in the use of biophysical instrumentation and techniques.
• Manage billing for core usage, supported by department financial staff.
• Work to develop growth of the Biophysical Research Core, both through recruiting new academic and industrial users to the Core and by assisting in the preparation of proposals for new equipment.
• Develop, collaborate, author and co-publish peer-reviewed research literature and presentations that report findings of the Biophysical Research Core lab, as appropriate.
• Maintain expertise and broad knowledge about biophysical instrumentation by attending training and professional meetings.
• Undertake independent or collaborative research.
• Follow and enforce safety procedures.
• Anticipate changing experimental demands, plan for acquisition of needed instrumentation, and establish new experimental procedures.
• Design, organize, and coordinate scientific research projects, including running for-fee service samples for both academic and industrial groups.
• Maintain accurate records, organize and maintain facility budget, and assist in billing for facility use.
• Organize, stock, and maintain the facility with necessary equipment and reagents to support research activities.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree in Biochemistry, Biophysics, or closely related field with five years of job-related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Ph.D. is preferred.
• Extensive experience in the use, operation, and maintenance of biophysical instrumentation, including biolayer interferometry, microplate readers, gel imagining, circular dichroism spectroscopy, ultra centrifugation, and protein calorimetry, and an eagerness to learn basic maintenance of the same.
• Effective communication skills, both oral and written.
• Ability to effectively interact with people of all ages and backgrounds.
• Ability to investigate and analyze information, draw conclusions, and generate reports.
• Ability to understand, follow, and enforce safety procedures.
• Ability to make independent decisions and judgments.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to develop and deliver training protocols.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.