Researcher

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

POSITION SPECIFICS

Researcher Key Responsibilities for Researcher position

Scientific Leadership and Project Management

• Lead and coordinate basic and translational research projects focused on urinary tract infection, mucosal and epithelial biology, host–pathogen interactions, aging, and related areas.
• Take responsibility for advancing assigned projects from experimental planning through data generation, analysis, interpretation, and publication.
• Coordinate research activities involving multiple investigators, trainees, research staff, core facilities, and collaborators.
• Monitor project progress, identify scientific or operational barriers, and develop strategies to maintain momentum and achieve research objectives.
• Evaluate emerging findings and relevant scientific literature to identify new hypotheses, experimental approaches, and opportunities for collaboration.

Experimental Research and Scientific Oversight

• Design, conduct, oversee, and troubleshoot complex experiments using molecular, cellular, microbiological, imaging, and in vivo approaches.
• Provide expertise in experimental (mouse) models of urinary tract infection and associated epithelial, immune, and inflammatory responses.
• Support studies utilizing primary tissues, cell culture, organoid systems, genetically modified mouse models, and other translational disease models.
• Develop, optimize, and standardize experimental protocols and workflows.
• Ensure rigor, reproducibility, appropriate controls, and quality assurance across experimental studies.
• Perform specialized experiments when advanced scientific or technical expertise is required.
• Analysis of human samples for UTI studies

Scientific Support Across the Research Group

• Serve as a senior scientific resource for faculty investigators and research teams.
• Assist faculty with development and execution of new or ongoing research projects.
• Support collaborative and multi-investigator studies within and outside the research group.

Team Development

• Train personnel in specialized experimental methods and promote rigorous and reproducible research practices.
• Participate actively in laboratory and project meetings, journal clubs, and scientific discussions.
• Help foster an intellectually engaged, collaborative, and productive research environment.

• Present research findings at laboratory meetings and national or international scientific conferences, contribute to abstracts, presentations, progress reports, and other scientific communications.
• Maintain high standards for scientific documentation, data integrity, and reproducibility.

Required Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in microbiology, immunology, molecular biology, cell biology, biomedical sciences, or a closely related discipline.
• Postdoctoral research training and experience required.
• Demonstrated record of scientific productivity, including peer-reviewed publications.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, execute, troubleshoot, analyze, and interpret complex research studies.
• Experience leading or coordinating scientific projects and advancing projects toward publication.
• Strong expertise in molecular, cellular, microbiological, and/or in vivo experimental approaches.
• Experience working collaboratively with faculty investigators, trainees, technical staff, and scientific collaborators.
• Excellent scientific writing, data interpretation, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent scientific priorities and provide leadership within a collaborative research environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research experience in urinary tract infection, bacterial pathogenesis, mucosal or epithelial biology, host–pathogen interactions, aging, or related areas.
• Experience with mouse models of infection, inflammation, aging, or related disease processes.
• Experience with genetically modified mouse models and experimental cohort planning.
• Experience with primary tissues, advanced imaging, organoid systems, or other translational experimental models.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring students, research technologists, postdoctoral fellows, or other research personnel.
• Strong publication record with evidence of substantial intellectual contributions to research projects.
• Experience contributing to NIH or other federally funded research programs, including manuscripts, preliminary data, progress reports, and grant applications.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

BENEFITS

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional wellbeing. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children.

For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page. (Note: For Postdoctoral benefits, please see our Postdoctoral Benefits page.)

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Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

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