Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of diverse individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your diversity of culture, thinking, learning, and leading is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

Dermatology

Job Summary:

JOB SUMMARY

The Staff Scientist is responsible for planning and supervising the execution of projects for the laboratory of Dr. Ward. The Research Scientist will be involved in experiment design for research projects related to better understanding psoriatic disease pathogenesis, including skin and musculoskeletal manifestations of the disease and related comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease and depression. The Research Scientist is expected to assist with grant and manuscript writing and be able to work independently and supervise and train more junior people in the lab.

NOTE: This is a leadership role and the expectations for this person to work independently and productively are high. They should have a PhD and have post-doc years of scientific experience in a field directly relevant to inflammation and immunology. They must have experience working with mice and must have experience studying immunology, using flow cytometry and RNA sequencing. Similarly, they must have at least 3-5 first-author publications in well-respected peer-reviewed scientific journals.

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Lead data generation, data analysis, figure making, and manuscript writing. The Research Scientist will be responsible for developing new methodologies.

• Design and implement projects independently, including designing, implementing, and executing research for grant submissions and publication. Excellent writing skills, scientific logic, and willingness to explore new ideas and create novel hypotheses are essential to this role.

• Oversee the efforts of postdoctoral fellows, work with research assistants and lab staff, and multitask strongly such that wet-lab work in relation to 2-3 projects can be managed concurrently.

• Ability to perform informatics analyses on bulk RNASeq, DNA seq, and other ‘omics data would be beneficial in this role.

NOTE: This is a leadership role and the expectations for this person to work independently and productively are high. They should have a PhD and have post-doc years of scientific experience in a field directly relevant to inflammation and immunology. They must have experience working with mice and must have experience studying immunology, using flow cytometry and RNA sequencing. Similarly, they must have at least 3-5 first-author publications in well-respected peer-reviewed scientific journals.

NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Interface with ‘Omics collaborators to integrate ‘omics data with biological data, troubleshoot instruments, train users, and work closely with lab manager, lab staff, and other scientists. Perform other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

Supervise and oversee the work of postdoctoral fellows, research associates, and other lab staff.

WORKING CONDITIONS

General laboratory environment. Hazardous exposure may include paraformaldehyde, human tissue, human cells, general chemicals, and mice.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s animal facilities are accredited by the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) and are managed according to the “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals” appropriate Federal Animal Welfare Regulations and the Public Health Service “Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.” This position and all animal research personnel are subject to internal compliance to ARC SOPs and to compliance regulations of the Animal Welfare Act, Public Health Service Policy, AAALAC guidelines, Federal Drug Enforcement Administration regulatory guidelines, US Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine regulations and other applicable regulatory guidelines.

Occasional travel to collaborator and scientific meetings may be required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience: Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience. Completion of postdoctoral training is preferred.

Education/Licensing: Ph.D. in Immunology, Cell Biology, Bioinformatics or Systems Biology, Biochemistry or related field.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

In employment, as in education, VUMC is committed to Equal Opportunity and Diversity. Women, veterans, members of underrepresented minority groups, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Our Academic Enterprise is one of the nation’s longest serving and most prestigious academic medical centers. Through its historic bond with Vanderbilt University and integral role in the School of Medicine, Vanderbilt Health cultivates distinguished research and educational programs to advance a clinical enterprise that provides compassionate and personalized care and support for millions of patients and family members each year.

World-leading academic departments and comprehensive centers of excellence pursue scientific discoveries and transformational educational and clinical advances across the entire spectrum of health and disease.

Aligning with Vanderbilt Health’s Strategic Directions , the Office of Research provides shared research resources, administrative expertise and professional guidance to enable the trans-disciplinary environment and highly collaborative culture that advances discovery and training for all the research faculty, trainees, students and staff.

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Delivers job responsibilities that impact own job area/team with some guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Uses existing procedures, research and analysis to solve standard job related problems that may require some judgement. Breadth of Knowledge: Requires subject matter knowledge within a professional area to meet job requirements. Team Interaction: Individually contributes to project/ work teams.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Continuously improves own skills by identifying development opportunities.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Seeks to understand colleagues priorities, working styles and develops relationships across areas. - Communicates Effectively: Openly shares information with others and communicates in a clear and courteous manner. Delivering Excellent Services: - Serves Others with Compassion: Invests time to understand the problems, needs of others and how to provide excellent service. - Solves Complex Problems: Seeks to understand issues, solves routine problems, and raises proper concerns to supervisors in a timely manner. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Listens carefully to understand the issues and provides accurate information and support. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Checks work quality before delivery and asks relevant questions to meet quality standards.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Shows eagerness to learn new knowledge, technologies, tools or systems and displays willingness to go above and beyond. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Demonstrates basic knowledge of conditions that affect safety and reports unsafe conditions to the appropriate person or department. Managing Resources Effectively :- Demonstrates Accountability: Takes responsibility for completing assigned activities and thinks beyond standard approaches to provide high-quality work/service. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Displays understanding of how personal actions will impact departmental resources. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Uses accurate information and good decision making to consistently achieve results on time and without error. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Willingly proposes/accepts ideas or initiatives that will impact day-to-day operations by offering suggestions to enhance them.- Applies Technology: Absorbs new technology quickly; understands when to utilize the appropriate tools and procedures to ensure proper course of action. - Adapts to Change: Embraces changes by keeping an open mind to changing plans and incorporates change instructions into own area of work.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications :

Work Experience :

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level :

Less than 1 year

Education :

Doctorate (Required)

Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and to the principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. EOE/AA/Women/Minority/Vets/Disabled