Staff Scientist, Center for Translational Medicine

Application instructions are located at the bottom of the page. Please apply directly through the University of Montana's career portal UM Jobs at https://umjobs.silkroad.com/ for positions at the University of Montana – Missoula, University of Montana Western (Dillon), and Helena College. Do not apply through Indeed.com or use easy apply through Indeed.com * .

A Staff Scientist position in nanoparticle/bioconjugation based vaccine delivery is available immediately in the Vaccine Design and Delivery Research Group of Dr. David Burkhart ( http://health.umt.edu/biomed/labs/vaccine-research-group/ ) as part of an outstanding interactive multidisciplinary research team focused on the discovery and development of novel vaccine adjuvants and immunomodulators in the Center for Translational Medicine at the University of Montana, Missoula MT. This is an excellent opportunity to join a world-class multidisciplinary vaccine research team that is well funded and has strong connections in both academia and industry. We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a good knowledge of vaccine/drug delivery systems, nanoparticle technology, bioconjugation, pharmaceutical science, organic and analytical chemistry with a good understanding of biochemistry, immunology, or biological systems. This opportunity is viewed as preparatory for a full-time academic and/or industrial research career.

The University of Montana is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and has a strong institutional commitment to the principle of diversity in all areas. In that spirit, we are particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of qualified people who would assist the University in demonstrating its five priorities for action: Place student success at the center of all we do; drive excellence and innovation in teaching, learning, and research; embody the principle of “mission first, people always"; partner with place; and proudly tell the UM story.

Position Details

• Based on the successful candidate’s experience and qualifications, the position may be hired at the assistant, associate, scientist or senior scientist level
• Position is full-time, 1.0 FTE, Letter of Appointment and includes a comprehensive and competitive benefits package including Insurance package, mandatory retirement plan, partial tuition waiver, and wellness program
• Starting salary for this position is commensurate with qualifications

Required qualifications and responsibilities for each level: Assistant Scientist

• Bachelor of Science and less than five (5) years of applicable lab experience.
• Designs and executes a laboratory experiments with supervision.
• Demonstrate strong verbal and written communication skills and accurate record keeping skills.
• Performs some data management and analysis.
• Effectively communicates relevant scientific information to manager and colleagues.

Associate Scientist

• Bachelor of Science and greater than five (5) years of applicable lab experience or Masters of Science and less than two (2) years of relevant lab experience.
• Designs and executes a laboratory experiments with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills and accurate record keeping skills.
• The ability to prioritize tasks to meet deadlines across multiple projects.
• Performs data management and analysis with minimum oversight.
• Effectively communicates relevant scientific information to manager and colleagues.
• Reviews scientific literature and recommends new technologies or ideas to colleagues or manager.
• Demonstrates competence with multiple laboratory systems and methods.

Research Scientist

• Bachelor of Science and greater than ten (10) years of applicable lab experience or Masters of Science and greater than five (5) years lab experience.
• Designs and executes a wide range of experiments with minimal or no supervision.
• Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills and accurate record keeping skills.
• The ability to prioritize tasks to meet deadlines across multiple projects.
• Effectively reviews scientific literature independently and implements new technologies and assay systems into laboratory.
• Performs complex data management and analysis with minimum oversight.
• Prepares detailed and accurate verbal or written summaries of results with interpretation for manager and/or project teams.
• Presents effectively at internal research group meetings.
• Responsible for effectively sharing relevant scientific information with manager and colleagues.
• Coordination of the efforts with technical and scientific staff to achieve project objectives and milestones.
• Technical expert on one or more laboratory systems.
• Trains incoming and/or junior scientists on instrumentation and methods

Senior Scientist

• Bachelor of Science and greater than fifteen (15) years of applicable lab experience or Masters of Science and greater than ten (10) years lab experience.
• Has theoretical, practical and technical scientific knowledge of an early career PhD scientist with exceptional technical competencies.
• Oversee day-to-day operations in laboratory including personnel and project management.
• Effectively manages laboratory technical staff.
• Designs and executes a wide range of experiments independently and proactively incorporates new technologies into practice with minimal or no supervision.
• Performs complex data management and analysis with minimum or no oversight.
• Prepares detailed verbal or written summaries of results with interpretation for manager and/or project teams.
• Writes specific technical sections of internal and external reports with limited supervision.
• Assists in grant and manuscript writing with limited input from supervisor.
• Presents effectively to internal and external meetings.
• Responsible for sharing relevant scientific information from internal and external meetings with appropriate colleagues.
• Established networking skills through interactions with scientists outside of primary project roles.
• Initiates coordination of the efforts of technical and scientific staff to achieve project objectives, and milestones.
• Trains incoming and/or junior scientists on instrumentation and methods

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Ability to learn and apply new skills appropriate to conduct necessary research
• Knowledge and experience in laboratory environment
• Ability to maintain a safe working and learning environment
• Ability to identify, analyze and summarize relevant literature
• Demonstrated experience and/or knowledge in the following:
  • Experimental design with appropriate controls included
  • Analytical method development and troubleshooting
  • Pharmaceutical Formulation & Process Development
  • Equipment maintenance and logs
  • Chemical inventory maintenance
  • Safety audits
  • Notebooks tracking and ELNs
  • Nanoparticle formulations (polymeric nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles, dendrimers, inorganic nanoparticles, emulsions, etc.)
  • Bioconjugation chemistry and/or analytical characterization of bioconjugates
  • Production, characterization, and analysis of formulations (HPLC, DLS, DSC, CD, MS, NMR, etc.)
  • Stability monitoring of formulations

About UM

The University of Montana is a unit of the Montana University System with more than 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students and 500+ full-time faculty members. It is located in Missoula, a culturally vibrant community of about 70,000, surrounded by mountain grandeur which was recently ranked in the “ top 20 best college towns with a population of less than 250,000 ” by the American Institute for Economic Research and ranked 9^th in Outside Magazine’s “ The 16 Greatest Places to Live in America ” in 2014. Many national publications recognize Missoula for its high quality of life . Abundant recreational opportunities in surrounding state and national forests and nearby Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park complement a thriving intellectual atmosphere.

To learn more about the University of Montana, Missoula, and the State of Montana, please visit the links below.

• University of Montana
  • University Highlights

Criminal Background Investigation is required prior to Offer of Employment.
In accordance with University policy, finalists for this position will be subject to criminal background investigations.
ADA/EOE/AA/Veteran's Preference.
Reasonable accommodations are provided in the hiring process for persons with disabilities. For example, this material is available in alternative format upon request. As an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, we encourage applications from minorities, veterans, and women. Qualified candidates may request veterans’ or disabilities preference in accordance with state law.
References *References not listed on the application materials may be contacted; notice may be provided to the applicant.
Testing Individual hiring departments at UM may elect to administer pre-employment tests, which are relevant to essential job functions.

E mployment Eligibility. All New Employees must be eligible and show employment eligibility verification by the first date of employment at UM, as legally required (e.g., Form I-9).


How to Apply

Priority Application Date: Sunday, February 1, 2023 by 11:59 pm MST

Applications received by this date will be guaranteed consideration, and the position will remain open until filled.

Please submit the following application materials via "New Resume/CV" button below.

*Please note: only five (5) attachments are allowed per application. Please combine documents accordingly.

• Letter of Interest – addressing the stated required skills for the position
• Detailed resume listing education and describing work experience
• Names and contact information for three (3) professional references

Job Location Missoula, Montana, United States
Position Type Full-Time/Regular