Research Scientist

Research Scientist (RS)

Organization:
The Institute for Medical Research (IMR), an affiliate of the Durham VA Health Care System (DVAHCS)

Location:
Durham, NC (On-site – VA Medical Center)

Employment Type:
Full-Time

Salary Range:

$85,500 - $92,850

Anticipated Start Date:

To be determined

Position Summary

The Institute for Medical Research, an affiliate of the Durham VA Health Care System (DVAHCS), is looking for a Research Scientist to join our multidisciplinary clinical research team under Dr. Christopher Woods. A successful candidate will play a central role in advancing cutting-edge research within the Veterans Health Administration by supporting several existing studies and initiating new hypothesis-driven research within the DVAHCS.

This incumbent will work closely with the Research Program Manager and the MERL Laboratory Director. The incumbent’s first-level manager is the Principal Investigator, Dr. Christopher Woods. The incumbent will have the opportunity to work with research personnel, MDs, PhDs, and other clinical staff at the DVAMC and other VHA stations.

Location: This is an in-person role with 4-5 days a week in-office. Candidate is required to work from the Durham VA Medical Center.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Critical Element 1: Research Study Design and Execution

• Design, plan, and conduct collaborative research projects aligned with the research priorities of the Woods group and the VHA
• Perform and oversee advanced laboratory techniques
• Support management of large clinical specimen biorepositories, including maintaining inventories and corresponding annotations

Critical Element 2: Data Analysis & Bioinformatics

• Ensure appropriate annotation and storage of derived datasets, including experimental keys, and raw and processed data
• Participate in the extraction, processing and analysis of large-scale datasets using established and novel pipelines
• Collaborate with bioinformatics and computational teams to extract, analyze, and interpret data
• Apply statistical and machine learning approaches to derive meaningful biological and epidemiological insights from complex datasets

Critical Element 3: Scientific Communication and Collaboration

• Prepare manuscripts, research reports, and presentations for peer-reviewed publication and scientific conferences
• Contribute to grant writing and funding applications in support of research group priorities
• Provide training, mentorship, and scientific guidance to students, fellows, and research staff as appropriate
• Collaborate with other research staff to ensure study milestones and objectives are met
• Collaborate with internal and external partners, including administrative, regulatory, clinical, computational, and translational teams

Critical Element 4: Laboratory and Operational Oversite

• Support and execute day-to-day operational decisions as appropriate
• Maintain detailed and accurate laboratory records and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in compliance with institutional and regulatory standards
• Ensure compliance with laboratory biosafety protocols, IRB/IACUC requirements, and local/national VHA research policies
• Contribute to the management, maintenance, and quality assurance of laboratory equipment and reagents
• Participate in study meetings, conference calls, and leadership discussions

Minimum Qualifications:

Education
Work requires a terminal degree in a relevant scientific field.

Experience (required)

• Proven track record of peer-reviewed publications in relevant scientific literature
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex scientific findings clearly to diverse audiences
• Ability to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team

Experience (preferred)

• Postdoctoral research experience in infectious diseases, immunology, molecular epidemiology or a related field
• Experience working with primary human samples including blood and blood derivatives, tissues, or respiratory specimens
• Proficiency or familiarity with programming languages used in bioinformatics (e.g. R, Python, SQL)
• Proficiency or familiarity with bioinformatics tools, pipelines, and outputs for sequencing data analysis
• Familiarity with clinical or translational research environments and regulatory frameworks
• Grant writing experience and a demonstrated ability to contribute to successful funding applications

Degrees, Licensures, Certifications
None required above education requirement.

Residency Requirements:

As a condition of employment with the Institute for Medical Research (IMR), employees must reside within the State of North Carolina and maintain a reasonable commuting distance to their assigned work location throughout the duration of their employment. By accepting this offer, you acknowledge and agree to this requirement. Failure to maintain North Carolina residency at any time during employment may result in corrective action, up to and including termination of employment.

By accepting this offer, you acknowledge that your employment with IMR is at will. This means that neither you nor IMR have entered a contract regarding the terms or duration of employment. You may terminate your employment at any time, with or without cause or notice. Likewise, IMR reserves the right to reassign duties, modify compensation, or terminate employment at any time, with or without cause or notice.

Notice regarding onboarding:

Incumbents will onboard as an employee of Institute for Medical Research (IMR) and as an affiliate of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Incumbents must successfully complete onboarding with both entities. Specific start dates will be determined by VHA onboarding.