Junior/Assistant Specialist in Immunology, Infection, and Cancer
University of California Berkeley Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
United States

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The DuPage Lab in the Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley seeks applications for a Specialist at the Junior or Assistant rank to investigate genes critical to the function of the T regulatory immune cell population in disease pathology, including autoimmunity, infection, and cancer. The position will contribute in three major ways 1) mouse colony maintenance (handling, tagging, bleeding mice), genotyping (by PCR and flow cytometry) and necropsy/ experimentation (harvesting tissues - including tumors, isolation of T cells), 2) cell based experiments (isolation and culture of cells and T cell functional assays), and 3) DNA/RNA manipulation and cloning. This position reports to Professor Michel DuPage, Assistant Professor of Immunology and Pathogenesis.
The position will keep detailed records of experiments performed, conclusions made, and communication of results orally and through lab notebook records.

In the DuPage lab, we are focused on breaking down the immunological walls (namely Tregs) that protect cancers from our own immune systems. To examine this interface between our immune systems and cancer, we intersect the fields of cancer biology, immunology, and epigenetics. Our goal is to strengthen our own immune defense mechanisms against our own cancers by establishing a new paradigm for augmenting immune responses against cancer - to uncover and target mechanisms that control T cell programming within the tumor microenvironment. We have already identified key intracellular pathways, both signaling cascades and epigenetic enzymes, that when targeted, selectively reprogram intratumoral Tregulatory cell function to enhance anti-cancer immunity while simultaneously minimizing autoimmune toxicity. Our approach utilizes sophisticated genetic tools to modify T cells and tumor cells in the context of the most advanced pre-clinical cancer models of the human disease.

The department is interested in candidates who will contribute to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the community.

This position is represented by the Academic Researchers Unit UAW 5810 and covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

Lab: https://mcb.berkeley.edu/labs/dupage/

Contract: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/ra/contract.html

Union: https://uaw5810.org/

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent international degree or enrolled in a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent international degree program.

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent international degree

A Bachelor’s degree in Molecular/Cellular Biology, Immunology, or a related field.
Experience in microscopy, mouse breeding, genotyping and experimental assay development, execution and analysis.
Lab experience in a scientific lab during the undergraduate degree or afterward.
Excellent communication skills and careful attention to detail.
Experience in planning experiments, documenting and communicating data, and trouble-shooting protocols.
Experience in new protocol development is a plus, as is experience in mammalian cell culture or mouse handling.
Experience in isolating tissues, tissue/cell culture, molecular biology, statistics, and data analysis.
Expertise in immunology techniques (antibody staining and flow cytometry) and a basic understanding of immunology, especially T cell biology.
Proficient in mouse handling for colony management, mouse necropsy and tissue harvesting, tissue culture, and DNA/RNA-based techniques such as PCR, qPCR, and basic cloning

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are core values at UC Berkeley. Our excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and academic and non-academic staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates for our academic positions will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to advancing equity, inclusion, and belonging.

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality (http://apo.berkeley.edu/ucb-confidentiality-policy) prior to submitting their letter.

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Policy. All Covered Individuals under the policy must provide proof of Full Vaccination or, if applicable, submit a request for Exception (based on Medical Exemption, Disability, and/or Religious Objection) or Deferral (based on pregnancy) no later than the applicable deadline. Please refer to Appendix F, Section II.C. of the policy for the deadlines applicable to new University of California employees. (Capitalized terms in this paragraph are defined in the policy.) Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

Positions that are represented by a collective bargaining unit or agent have particular contracts. For more information, please refer to the relevant contract: Lecturer contract, Postdoctoral contract, Research Series contract, and Librarian contract. Questions about represented positions can be directed to the hiring unit.