Who we are:

The Gladstone Institutes is a distinguished independent, not-for-profit research institution dedicated to advancing human health through cutting-edge medical research and education. Our work spans neuroscience, cardiovascular biology, immunology, and stem cell biology, with a focus on overcoming disease. With a team of approximately 600 members, including renowned leaders in science and biomedicine, Gladstone operates across five institutes, alongside various centers and programs. Located at the Mission Bay Campus in an award-winning building, Gladstone offers competitive salaries and benefits, providing an optimal environment for individuals to realize their full potential and make a meaningful impact on global health

About the role:

The Marson Lab at the Gladstone-UCSF Institute for Genomic Immunology is looking for a highly motivated candidate with a passion for science to help with our research in T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. Our lab has pioneered the application of novel genetic engineering technologies such as CRISPR to primary human immune cells (Shifrut et al., Cell 2018). These new technical abilities have furthered our lab research the genetic underpinnings of T cell biology (Schmidt and Steinhart et al., Science 2022; Schmidt and Ward et al., Nature 2023) and opened the door to novel cancer immune-therapies based on engineered human immune cells (Roth et al., Nature 2018). Our current research efforts are focused on developing and applying platforms for CRISPR-based manipulation and screening in primary human T cells to explore genetic mechanisms that regulate T cell functions and work toward therapeutic engineering of cells to treat cancer, HIV, and autoimmune diseases.

What you will do:

We are hiring a research associate (RA) to work on a project focusing on advancing pools of CRISPR modified T cells to a clinical trial for cancer patients. The primary responsibilities of the RA will include isolation and culture of primary human immune cells, functional analysis of engineered cells via high throughput flow cytometry, lentiviral vector design and evaluation, single-cell RNA sequencing, and CRISPR gene editing, among others. The RA will work with a multidisciplinary and cross-institutional team to perform groundwork experiments for advancing this cell therapy to clinical trial. This position represents an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to basic laboratory skills, early phase clinical translation, as well as exposure to the frontier of cancer immunology and next generation genomics technologies in a dynamic, well-established research environment.

What you will need:

• BA/BS degree and one or more years of laboratory experience utilizing techniques or methods required by the position; or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience with general laboratory techniques, especially basic molecular and cellular biology techniques (including but not limited to DNA and RNA isolation, PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA assembly, bacterial transformation, mammalian cell culture, etc.)
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal communication skills (verbal and written)
• Willingness and ability to learn new methods and skills for changing research priorities
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a research team
• Ability to prioritize tasks, coordinate work tasks with others, and meet multiple deadlines

What is preferred:

• Prior experience with culturing human cells
• Prior experience with flow cytometry
• Prior experience with single-cell RNA-sequencing methods (e.g. 10x genomics)
• Basic proficiency in data analysis in R and/or Python

Required Application Materials:

• Resume/CV
• Cover letter with a brief statement of research background and future goals / interest in the lab
• Contact information for two references

Compensation is determined by the Gladstone Institutes pay scale.

About Gladstone Institutes

The Gladstone Institutes is an independent, not-for-profit research institution affiliated with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), transforming the health and well-being of all people through medical research, education, and outreach in the fields focused on heart disease, immunology and virology including HIV/AIDS, and neurological disease. Home to notable leaders in the field of medical science, including 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recipient Shinya Yamanaka, M.D.,Ph.D. Gladstone is comprised of four institutes in addition to various Centers and programs focusing approximately 500 members of our team on its mission: Science Overcoming Disease. Located in an award-winning building adjacent to UCSF's Mission Bay Campus, Gladstone offers a competitive salary and benefits program within a robust environment for those seeking to maximize their potential. Please consider Gladstone and make a difference in human health.

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