Open Positions in Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Position Overview
Salary Range: A reasonable estimate for this position is $79,400-$83,700.
Application Window
Open Date: Oct. 15, 2026
Next Review Date: Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final Date: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position Description
The University of California (UC) Davis, School of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology seeks to hire a full-time employee as a Project Scientist at the Assistant level.
The Project Scientist makes significant and creative contributions to a research or creative project in his/her academic discipline. The appointee possesses the subject matter expertise and the creative energy necessary to function at a high level of competence. The appointee will participate in activities to increase, improve, or upgrade competency. Appointees with Project Scientist series may engage in University and public service. They do not have teaching responsibilities. Although the Project Scientist is expected to work independently under the general guidance of an academic member with an independent research program (i.e., Professor, Professional Researcher, etc.), they are not required to develop an independent research program or reputation. The Project Scientist will carry out research or creative programs with supervision by an individual in an academic title that carries with it automatic Principal status. The Project Scientist does not usually serve as a Principal Investigator but may do so by exception. The incumbent will work under the supervision of Professor Dennis Hartigan-O’Connor and have the ability to work cooperatively and collegially in a diverse environment.
Major Responsibilities
1) RESEARCH (85% Effort)
Research Activity (65%)
This position requires creative contributions to and collaborative development of an active research program investigating topics relevant to the research area of modeling host-virus interactions. The candidate will help to determine research goals in consultation with the Principal Investigator, design specific projects including the selection of appropriate methods and techniques, supervise students or technicians regarding the technical aspects of the research, including methods development, trouble-shooting problems, interpreting results and planning follow up experiments.
The appointee will help to determine research goals in consultation with the Principal Investigators. The Project Scientist will design specific projects, including the selection of appropriate methods and techniques. In some cases, the appointee may supervise students or technicians regarding the technical aspects of the research, including methods development, trouble-shooting problems, interpreting results and planning follow-up experiments. The appointee collaborates with scientific colleagues in multi-disciplinary projects that include components falling within the appointee’s area of expertise.
Position duties include proximity-labeling experiments, studying virus replication, analyzing vaccine responses in animal models, and analyzing success or failure of prophylactic strategies against viral infection. The candidate must have experience in proximity labeling. The candidate will publish research in peer-reviewed journals either independently or in collaboration with the PI or other members of the research team and assist in writing proposals and progress reports for funding from federal agencies or other sources. The candidate will participate in professional societies and conferences appropriate to their specific field and will serve as a reviewer of research proposals and scientific publications as appropriate. They will attend seminars to present research results and may give oral presentations to public and professional interest groups. They may coordinate and/or give presentations at seminars, laboratory meetings or educational functions.
Publication (15%)
The appointee will publish research in peer-reviewed journals either independently or in collaboration with the PI or other members of the research team.
Grant Acquisition (5%)
The appointee will assist in writing proposals for funding from federal and state agencies and other funding organizations. The appointee will prepare and assist in the preparation of reports as required by granting agencies and prepare modifications of budgets and other grant components as needed.
2) PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY (15% Effort)
The candidate will participate in professional societies and conferences appropriate to his/her specific fields of immunology and metabolism instrumentation and applications and will serve as a reviewer of research proposals and scientific publications as appropriate. The candidate will attend seminars to present research results and may give oral presentations to public and professional interest groups. When appropriate, the candidate may coordinate and/or give presentations at seminars, laboratory meetings or educational functions.
2) UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE (0% Effort)
The appointee may occasionally undertake administrative tasks relevant to the smooth running of the laboratory enterprise as appropriate.
This recruitment is conducted at the assistant rank. The resulting hire will be at the assistant rank, regardless of the proposed appointee's qualifications. For the full position description and to apply, visit AP Recruit.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications (required at time of application)
Candidates must possess a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences and have at least four years' postdoctoral experience in gammaherpesvirus research.
Additional Qualifications (required at time of start)
The following research experience is required for this position: prior research in gammaherpesvirus biology, viral epigenetics, chromatin regulation, and host–virus interactions; and expertise in recombinant viral engineering, proximity-labeling proteomics, and functional genomics. Further, the candidate should have training and experience in basic data analysis using R or Python.
Preferred Qualifications (other preferred, but not required, qualifications for the position)
Experience in mentoring graduate and undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds in experimentation and data analyses. Experience reviewing manuscripts.
Application Requirements
Document Requirements
- Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
- Cover Letter (Optional)
- Statement of Research (Optional)
- Statement of Teaching (Optional)
- Authorization to Release Information Form - This form is required for all applicants applying to academic recruitments. Please see the Employment Disclosure Requirements webpage for more information. Download, complete, sign, and upload the form.
- Statement of Teaching (Optional)
Reference Requirements
- 3-5 letters of reference required
Help Contact: amysaini@ucdavis.edu
Position Overview
Salary Range: A reasonable estimate for this position is $79,400 at step 1, $83,700 at step 2, and $88,000 at step 3.
Application Window
Open Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Next Review Date: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final Date: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position Description
The University of California (UC) Davis, School of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology seeks to hire a full-time employee as a Project Scientist at the Assistant level.
The Project Scientist makes significant and creative contributions to a research or creative project in his/her academic discipline. The appointee possesses the subject matter expertise and the creative energy necessary to function at a high level of competence. The appointee will participate in activities to increase, improve, or upgrade competency. Appointees with Project Scientist series may engage in University and public service. They do not have teaching responsibilities. Although the Project Scientist is expected to work independently under the general guidance of an academic member with an independent research program (i.e., Professor, Professional Researcher, etc.), they are not required to develop an independent research program or reputation. The Project Scientist will carry out research or creative programs with supervision by an individual in an academic title that carries with it automatic Principal status. The Project Scientist does not usually serve as a Principal Investigator but may do so by exception. The incumbent will work under the supervision of Professor Janine LaSalle and have the ability to work cooperatively and collegially in a diverse environment.
Major Responsibilities
1) RESEARCH (85% Effort)
Research Activity (65%)
This position requires creative contributions to and collaborative development of an active research program investigating topics relevant to the research area of developmental origins of health and disease. The candidate will help to determine research goals in consultation with the Principal Investigator, design specific projects including the selection of appropriate methods and techniques, supervise students or technicians regarding the technical aspects of the research, including methods development, trouble-shooting problems, interpreting results and planning follow up experiments.
The appointee will help to determine research goals in consultation with the Principal Investigators. The Project Scientist will design specific projects, including the selection of appropriate methods and techniques. In some cases, the appointee may supervise students or technicians regarding the technical aspects of the research, including methods development, trouble-shooting problems, interpreting results and planning follow-up experiments. The appointee collaborates with scientific colleagues in multi-disciplinary projects that include components falling within the appointee’s area of expertise.
Position duties include DNA methylome and lipidome investigations across a range of human diseases including autism, cancer, and Alzheimer’s The candidate will publish research in peer-reviewed journals either independently or in collaboration with the PI or other members of the research team and assist in writing proposals and progress reports for funding from federal agencies or other sources. The candidate will participate in professional societies and conferences appropriate to their specific field and will serve as a reviewer of research proposals and scientific publications as appropriate. They will attend seminars to present research results and may give oral presentations to public and professional interest groups. They may coordinate and/or give presentations at seminars, laboratory meetings or educational functions.
Publication (15%)
The appointee will publish research in peer-reviewed journals either independently or in collaboration with the PI or other members of the research team.
Grant Acquisition (5%)
The appointee will assist in writing proposals for funding from federal and state agencies and other funding organizations. The appointee will prepare and assist in the preparation of reports as required by granting agencies and prepare modifications of budgets and other grant components as needed.
2) PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY (15% Effort)
The candidate will participate in professional societies and conferences appropriate to his/her specific fields of epigenomics and developmental origins of health and disease. The candidate will serve as a reviewer of research proposals and scientific publications as appropriate. The candidate will attend seminars to present research results and may give oral presentations to public and professional interest groups. When appropriate, the candidate may coordinate and/or give presentations at seminars, laboratory meetings or educational functions.
This recruitment is conducted at the assistant rank. The resulting hire will be at the assistant rank, regardless of the proposed appointee's qualifications. For the full position description and to apply, visit AP Recruit.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications (required at time of application)
Candidates must possess a M.D. or Ph.D. and have at least four years of postdoctoral experience in medical bioinformatics, computational biology, and epigenomics.
Additional Qualifications (required at time of start)
The following research experience is required for this position: prior research experience in both bench and bioinformatic aspects of DNA methylome and lipidome investigations, broad clinical and molecular understanding of a range of human diseases including autism, cancer, and Alzheimer’s; expertise in usage and lab management of high performance computing environment; training in statistical methods in clinical research; training in social determinants of health research; training in developmental origins of health and disease research; training in systems biology approaches to epigenomics and lipidomics research; a successful track record of mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in both bench and bioinformatic methods; outstanding oral and written communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications (other preferred, but not required, qualifications for the position)
Experience in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds in bench and bioinformatic approaches. Experience reviewing manuscripts.
Application Requirements
Document Requirements
- Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
- Cover Letter (Optional)
- Statement of Research (Optional)
- Authorization to Release Information Form - This form is required for all applicants applying to academic recruitments. Please see the Employment Disclosure Requirements webpage for more information. Download, complete, sign, and upload the form.
- Statement of Teaching (Optional)
Reference Requirements
- 3-5 letters of reference required
Help Contact: amysaini@ucdavis.edu
