ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Microscopy Imaging Core Director Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Arcadia Science

Imaging Specialist

Emeryville, CA · On-site

Microscopy at Arcadia is a platform capability, not a service desk. The core is built to enable ... Direct experience designing imaging experiments on live samples across multiple organisms or cell ...

Harvard University

Imaging Scientist

Cambridge, MA · On-site

Independently execute a range of complex scientific research activities in a core facility ... This position will primarily support light microscopy and sample preparation equipment. The Imaging ...

Harvard University

Imaging Scientist

Cambridge, MA · On-site

$57/hr

Independently execute a range of complex scientific research activities in a core facility ... This position will primarily support light microscopy and sample preparation equipment. The Imaging ...

Thorlabs

$95K - $119K/yr

Bachelors, Master's, or PhD degree in physics or life science discipline related to microscopy or imaging systems Direct experience with imaging systems and microscopy techniquesStrong lab experience ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsHealthcare JobsHospital JobsRadiology Director JobsMicroscopy Imaging Core Director Jobs

Microscopy Imaging Core Director information

See salary details

$49K

$145.8K

$283K

How much do microscopy imaging core director jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 2, 2026, the average yearly pay for microscopy imaging core director in the United States is $145,802.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $103,500.00 and $167,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a Microscopy Imaging Core Director do?

A Microscopy Imaging Core Director oversees the daily operations of a microscopy core facility, which provides advanced imaging services and support to researchers. Their responsibilities include managing staff, maintaining and troubleshooting equipment, developing imaging protocols, training users, and ensuring the facility stays up to date with new technologies. They also handle budgeting, grant writing, and collaboration with research teams to help achieve high-quality imaging results. The Director plays a vital role in facilitating scientific discoveries by ensuring access to state-of-the-art microscopy resources.

How does the Microscopy Imaging Core Director collaborate with research teams to support their imaging needs?

As a Microscopy Imaging Core Director, you play a vital role in partnering with diverse research groups by providing technical expertise, training, and consultation on experimental design and imaging techniques. You will regularly meet with principal investigators and lab members to discuss project goals, recommend appropriate instrumentation, and troubleshoot imaging challenges. Additionally, you oversee the scheduling, maintenance, and optimization of core facility equipment, ensuring that users have reliable access to state-of-the-art resources and guidance throughout their experiments.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Microscopy Imaging Core Director, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Microscopy Imaging Core Director, you need advanced knowledge of microscopy techniques, image analysis, and a relevant scientific degree (often a PhD) in life sciences or a related field. Familiarity with imaging platforms (such as confocal, super-resolution, and electron microscopes), image processing software, and laboratory management systems is typically required. Leadership, excellent communication, and strong organizational skills help manage team members, collaborate with researchers, and oversee facility operations. These skills are crucial for ensuring high-quality research support, efficient lab management, and effective training for users.

What is the difference between Microscopy Imaging Core Director vs Microscopy Facility Manager?

AspectMicroscopy Imaging Core DirectorMicroscopy Facility Manager
CredentialsAdvanced degrees (PhD or equivalent), specialized microscopy certificationsBachelor’s or Master’s degree, relevant experience in microscopy management
Work EnvironmentResearch institutions, academic labs, overseeing core microscopy facilitiesOperational management of microscopy facilities, staff supervision
ResponsibilitiesLeading microscopy research projects, setting strategic direction, managing staffMaintaining equipment, scheduling, user support, facility operations

The Microscopy Imaging Core Director typically holds advanced degrees and leads research initiatives within microscopy cores, focusing on strategic and scientific leadership. In contrast, the Microscopy Facility Manager handles daily operations, equipment maintenance, and user support. Both roles are essential in microscopy facilities but differ in scope and responsibilities.

What cities are hiring for Microscopy Imaging Core Director jobs?

Cities with the most Microscopy Imaging Core Director job openings:

What states have the most Microscopy Imaging Core Director jobs?

States with the most job openings for Microscopy Imaging Core Director jobs include:

What job categories do people searching Microscopy Imaging Core Director jobs look for?

The top searched job categories for Microscopy Imaging Core Director jobs are:

Microscopy Imaging Core Director jobs near you
Infographic showing various Microscopy Imaging Core Director job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 90% In-person, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $145,802 per year, or $70.1 per hour.

Imaging Scientist -- Core Microscopy & Open Protocols

Arcadia Science

Emeryville, CA • On-site

Other

Posted yesterday

New

Job description


A Bit About Us

We are Arcadia Science, an evolutionary biology company founded and led by scientists. Our mission is to turn natural innovations into real-world solutions by developing systematic and quantitative approaches to leveraging biology for therapeutics R&D. We share our research as openly as possible to accelerate discovery and make our work broadly useful.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an Imaging Specialist to operate our microscopy core and serve as the technical anchor for imaging across Arcadia. Microscopy at Arcadia is a platform capability, not a service desk. The core is built to enable high-content imaging of diverse organisms — from 2 to 250 µm, on timescales from milliseconds to hours — using both label-free and reporter-based approaches.

Our current footprint includes an inverted Nikon Ti2-E spinning disk confocal with Yokogawa CSU-W1 SoRa for high-resolution, low-phototoxicity imaging; an upright Nikon widefield system with a Kinetix sCMOS camera for fast cellular and sub-cellular dynamics (~500 fps full chip, faster in ROI), and a Leica Stellaris 8 for coherent Raman scattering (CRS) and fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM), for label-free molecular fingerprinting.

The Imaging Specialist owns the operational reliability and scientific utility of this infrastructure. They train users, consult on experimental design from sample prep through analysis, run acquisitions for collaborators, build automated workflows, and contribute to publications that share our protocols with the broader community. They also act as a liaison to external vendors to coordinate advanced trainings, troubleshoot issues, identify gaps in current workflows and demo new tools to fill them. This role reports to the Core Technologies Lead. The ideal candidate is a hands-on imaging scientist who can keep complex instruments running, design experiments alongside scientists across the organization, and turn one-off solutions into reusable infrastructure. This is an individual contributor role.

What you'll do

  • Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot all microscopy and spectroscopy instruments in the core; manage scheduling, service contracts, and vendor relationships

  • Consult with scientists across the company on imaging experiments — sample preparation, image acquisition, image processing, and analysis — and identify which tools and workflows fit the scientific question

  • Provide training and ongoing technical support on confocal, widefield, super-resolution, FLIM, Raman, and CARS systems

  • Run acquisitions on behalf of collaborators when the science calls for it, and hand off cleanly when it doesn't; perform sample prep where needed

  • Build, document, and maintain automated acquisition workflows that scale from one-off experiments to high-content datasets across diverse organisms

  • Develop and refine image processing and analysis pipelines (FIJI, CellProfiler, Python-based) to keep pace with the data we generate

  • Maintain SOPs, training documentation, and the microscope issue tracker so the core stays reproducible and easy to onboard into

  • Identify gaps in our imaging capabilities and propose, scope, and execute on capability expansions

  • Co-author open pubs on imaging methods, protocols, and datasets; share workflows externally via protocols.io and our repos so others can adopt them quickly

  • Partner with the Core Technologies and Validation teams to integrate imaging with automation, data infrastructure, and downstream analysis

Required Qualifications

  • PhD in cell biology, biophysics, bioengineering, or a related field, with at least 3 years of hands-on experience running or supporting an imaging core, advanced microscopy lab, or equivalent

  • Deep technical fluency with confocal, widefield, and super-resolution microscopy; familiarity with FLIM, Raman, or CRS is a strong plus

  • Demonstrated ability to maintain and troubleshoot complex optical systems, including light paths, lasers, cameras, and stage automation

  • Direct experience designing imaging experiments on live samples across multiple organisms or cell types

  • Programming experience (Python required; familiarity with bash, version control, and macro/script-level automation in FIJI or NIS-Elements)

  • Track record of building reproducible workflows — SOPs, automated acquisition routines, analysis pipelines — that other scientists actually use

  • Strong written and verbal communication; you can write up a protocol or a pub clearly and quickly

  • Commitment to open science. We publish protocols, code, and data openly and expect you to participate

  • Comfortable working across cell biology, microbiology, and non-model organism systems

  • Thrives in a fast-paced, on-site environment with shifting scientific priorities and a high volume of collaborator requests

Additional Qualifications

  • Experience with high-content screening, label-free imaging modalities, or quantitative phenotyping at scale

  • Hands-on with microfabrication for imaging (e.g., microchambers, PDMS molding) or other sample prep innovation

  • Background in image analysis with deep learning approaches (Cellpose, StarDist, custom models)

  • Experience standing up a core from scratch or leading a major capability expansion as an individual contributor


Arcadia Science is an equal opportunity workplace; we welcome people from all backgrounds and communities. We provide competitive compensation and practical benefits to keep you happy and healthy so that you can do your best work.

#J-18808-Ljbffr

Apply