Senior Writer/Editor

Job Description

Job Function Summary

The Savic Lab at UCSF is seeking a dynamic and highly skilled Senior Manager, Scientific Publications to join our team. In this role, you will lead the scientific communication strategy for the Savic Integrated Pharmacology Laboratory and the PReDiCTR-TB Consortium, partnering with investigators to develop high-impact manuscripts, grant applications, consortium reports, scientific presentations, and strategic communications that advance model-informed drug development (MIDD), translational pharmacology, quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP), AI-enabled translational science, and global tuberculosis research.

As the Senior Manager, Scientific Publications in the Savic Lab, you will play a pivotal role in advancing internationally recognized research programs in model-informed drug development, translational pharmacology, and AI-enabled quantitative science for infectious diseases. You will help shape the scientific voice of the Savic Lab and PReDiCTR-TB through publications, grants, scientific strategy, and international collaborations by ensuring that cutting-edge research is communicated effectively to a broad audience. The work environment is casual; however, professional behavior, rapt attention to detail and the ability to meet deadlines are clear requirements. The candidate must be able to work with prolific, high-energy lead scientists with complex schedule needs. This is a unique opportunity to combine your scientific expertise with strategic communication skills in a collaborative and innovative environment.

Department Overview


The Savic Lab is a global leader in model-informed drug development for infectious diseases and serves as a quantitative innovation hub for translational pharmacology, AI-enabled modeling, and next-generation regimen design. The laboratory conducts groundbreaking research across TB, HIV, malaria, pediatric infectious diseases, translational PK/PD, and systems pharmacology. Through its leadership role in PReDiCTR-TB, the lab collaborates with international partners to integrate computational science, mechanistic modeling, and clinical translation into actionable strategies that improve global health outcomes. Through PReDiCTR-TB, the laboratory works with academic, industry, nonprofit, and regulatory collaborators to integrate heterogeneous preclinical and clinical datasets into predictive models that accelerate TB regimen optimization, dose selection, and translational decision-making.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

List key functions and the estimated percentage of time spent performing each of the responsibilities. Indicate which responsibilities are considered "Essential" to the successful performance of the job as defined by the EEOC: "Essential functions are the basic job duties that an employee must be able to perform. You should carefully examine each job to determine which functions or tasks are essential to performance."

Example:

25% Essential Performs basic design, development, modification and debugging of software. Evaluates basic software for functional areas. Analyzes existing software or works to formulate logic for basic systems, prepares basic specifications and performs coding.

60% of time - Essential Function: Yes

Researches, writes, and edits high-level communications, publications, and / or reports with complex or sensitive subject matter; assignments may include proposals, articles for publications, briefing materials, talking points, press releases, and web site content.

Scientific Communication, Publication Strategy, and Leadership:

• Write and edit manuscripts describing pharmacometrics, translational PK/PD modeling, quantitative systems pharmacology, AI/ML methodologies, mechanistic modeling, infectious disease pharmacology, and model-informed drug development, while tailoring communications for scientific, regulatory, funding, and consortium audiences.
• Ensure scientific accuracy, consistency, reproducibility, and alignment with consortium-wide scientific messaging and publication standards.
• Partner with investigators from study conception through publication by contributing to scientific strategy, study design, translational framing, experimental planning, and interpretation of quantitative results.
• Lead the strategic planning of scientific publication pipelines, including selecting target journals, timing of submissions, and co-author collaboration.
• Coordinate publication activities across multi-institutional collaborations, including author coordination, journal strategy, publication timelines, reviewer responses, and consortium deliverables.
• Ensure scientific rigor and audience accessibility.
• Monitor trends in scientific publishing and ensure the organization stays current with best practices and evolving standards.
• Support grant writing efforts within the Savic Lab: by helping articulate scientific vision, translational impact, model-informed drug development strategies, and interdisciplinary research plans.
• Evaluate and appropriately leverage AI-assisted tools for literature synthesis, scientific writing, visualization, and publication workflows while ensuring scientific rigor, reproducibility, and authorship integrity.

35% of time - Essential Function: Yes

May edit and oversee design and production of a variety of print and online material.

Scientific Figures and Presentations:

• Design publication-quality scientific figures illustrating pharmacometric analyses, PK/PD workflows, quantitative systems pharmacology models, AI/ML pipelines, mechanistic models, translational frameworks, and clinical trial simulation strategies.
• Develop engaging scientific presentations for conferences, stakeholders, and internal meetings for the PI and Savic Lab Leadership.
• Ensure presentations effectively communicate complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences and align with UCSF brand identity standards.

5% of time - Essential Function: Yes

May respond to media inquiries, directing reporters to media relations officers in the UCSF Office of Communications and other subject-matter experts as appropriate.

Communication:

• Serve as a scientific communication liaison among pharmacometricians, clinicians, microbiologists, medicinal chemists, computational scientists, statisticians, consortium investigators, and external collaborators to ensure cohesive scientific messaging.
• Engage in cross-functional communication and collaboration to ensure the alignment of scientific strategy with Savic Lab priorities.
• Coordinate scientific communication activities across the PReDiCTR-TB Consortium, ensuring consistency of scientific messaging across publications, grants, presentations, workshops, consortium reports, and strategic initiatives.

100%

(To update total %, enter the amount of time in whole numbers (without the % symbol - e.g., 15, 20) then highlight the total sum (e.g., 1%) at the bottom of the column and press F9. The total sum should add up to 100%.)

Qualifications

Required

• Academic background and experience in selected area of research.
• Advanced oral and written communication skills.
• Advanced ability to think creatively and independently on concepts requiring advanced analytical skills.
• Advanced interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse groups to achieve results.
• Advanced ability to work collaboratively with internal and external peers and managers.
• Strong scientific writing and editing abilities, with a demonstrated track record of publications in high-impact peer-reviewed journals.
• Expertise in designing scientific figures and presentations, with proficiency in tools such as GraphPad, Adobe Illustrator, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to distill complex scientific concepts into clear, compelling, and accessible formats for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across different teams and functions.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex quantitative, computational, pharmacological, and biological research into clear, compelling scientific narratives.
• Experience supporting publications involving pharmacometrics, quantitative pharmacology, infectious diseases, AI/ML, systems biology, or translational medicine.
• Hands-on research experience in addition to graduate work in an academic setting.
• Minimum 5 years of related experience.

Preferred

• Advanced knowledge of administrative, budgetary, human resources and financial principles and practices.
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills, with the ability to navigate complex challenges in scientific research and communication.
• High level of attention to detail and organizational skills.
• This role requires flexibility and availability, and the candidate must be prepared to: be available for urgent communication with senior team as needed.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Familiarity with model-informed drug development (MIDD), PK/PD modeling, quantitative systems pharmacology, or mechanistic modeling.
• Experience coordinating scientific publications across large interdisciplinary collaborations or research consortia.

Education, Licenses and Certifications

List Education, Licenses and Certifications a candidate must possess or meet to be considered for the position. You may also select any of these attributes as being preferred. These will be included in the job posting/advertisement and will be used to screen applicants.

Required Education

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.

Preferred Education

• PhD preferred in pharmacology, pharmaceutical sciences, computational biology, systems biology, bioengineering, biomedical engineering, chemistry, microbiology, infectious diseases, or related quantitative life sciences.