Senior Staff Associate I

Position Summary

The Senior Staff Associate I will lead the day-to-day operations for research studies involving a large tissue resource for human immunology and perform state-of-the-art molecular profiling experiments using single-cell genomics, spatial profiling, and spectral flow cytometry. The researcher will work jointly between the laboratories of Dr. Peter Sims (Dept. of Systems Biology) and Dr. Donna Farber (Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology).

Duties

• Develops, optimizes, maintains, and disseminates protocols for tissue processing and single-cell analysis of immune cells from multiple human organs.
• Coordinates and documents the distribution of human tissues for cellular and molecular profiling studies to Columbia investigators and external collaborators as part of multiple federally and privately funded research projects. This involves assisting Dr. Farber with strategic planning for the tissue resource and implementing the priorities for tissue distribution when organ donor tissue arrives in the laboratory.
• Implements computational pipelines for analysis of single-cell genomic and flow cytometric data.

Functional Knowledge

• Strong background in immunology.
• Experience working with human tissues (including dissection, dissociation, preservation) and culturing / manipulating immune cells.
• Expertise in experimental methods for single-cell analysis including single-cell RNA-seq and flow cytometry.
• Experience with computational analysis of single-cell RNA-seq and high-dimensional flow cytometry data using at least one interpreted program language (e.g. R, Python).

Problem Solving

• Ability to troubleshoot tissue processing protocols including the isolation of viable cells of multiple lineages from disparate human tissue sites.
• Ability to troubleshoot the analysis of single-cell RNA-seq and high-dimensional flow cytometry data with computational biology collaborators.
• Ability to prioritize the distribution of tissue resources across a variety of projects in consultation with the PI.

Decision Making/Autonomy

• The Senior Staff Associate I will work with minimal supervision from Drs. Farber and Sims on research projects involving tissue processing and single-cell analysis.
• The Senior Staff Associate I will implement the priorities for the distribution of tissue resources to various projects based on the guidance from the PI (in this case Dr. Farber, who established and directs the tissue resource).

Leadership

• In consultation with the PIs, able to recommend and implement improvements to processes
• Able to provide guidance to junior team members

Technical Expertise

• Handling and processing human tissues including dissection and dissociation
• Handling and culturing immune cells of various types
• Single-cell RNA-seq using the 10x Genomics platform
• High-dimensional flow cytometry
• Basic analysis of scRNA-seq and high-dimensional flow cytometry data in Python or R

Communication Skills

• Ability to effectively communicate with collaborators.
• Explains complex information and must have excellent written and verbal communication skills in order to: 1) effectively coordinate and document the distribution of tissue resources; 2) prepare and disseminate written experimental protocols; 3) present research progress to both the Farber and Sims laboratories and to our collaborators.

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. in Biology or a related discipline
• At least 6 years of work experience in a laboratory setting

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience and expertise in immunology
• Experience and expertise in single-cell genomics and/or spatial profiling

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Pay Transparency Disclosure

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.