Allegheny Health Network Careers

Date Posted: 1/12/17

Position Number: DSCIEN

Location: Allegheny General Hospital (ASRI) 

Allegheny Health Network is an integrated delivery network focused on preserving health care choice and providing affordable, high-quality care to the people in our communities.  With more than 14,000 employees including 7,400 health care professionals, nearly 200 primary care and specialty care practices, Allegheny Health Network includes seven hospitals in Pennsylvania with nearly 2,400 licensed beds.  Allegheny Health Network’s clinical expertise ranges from primary care to the most complex surgical procedures.  Services include cancer diagnosis and treatment, cardiovascular care, neurological and neurosurgical services, organ transplantation, orthopedic and rehabilitation services, and women’s health.

The research enterprise of the Allegheny Health Network encompasses more than 300 full-time employees, several NIH-funded Principal Investigators, and more than 200 active clinical trials.  Through a formal research affiliation with Johns Hopkins University, AHN participates in the Johns Hopkins University Clinical Trial Network, forming a bidirectional collaborative research environment.  AHN research faculty are appointed to academic titles through our affiliations with Drexel College of Medicine and Temple School of Medicine. 

Department: Research (Molecular Biology)

Status: Full-Time

Union/ Non-union: Non-Union

Job Summary:

The Scientist/Senior Scientist will assume scientific and technical leadership of ongoing projects, reporting directly to the Principal Investigator.  Additional responsibilities will include publishing in scholarly journals and presenting at conferences, providing technical guidance to postdocs, undergraduate students, and technical staff.  The Scientist/Senior Scientist will be supported in developing their own independent research projects and applications for funding.  Successful demonstration of potential for research independence will merit consideration for advancement to full faculty appointment.  This position should be considered to offer a “fellow-to-faculty” opportunity for early career scientists with the potential to develop into independently-funded Principal Investigators.

Current research topics include salivary gland gene therapy, cardiopulmonary and myocardial disease, autoimmunity and obesity.  The unique research environment provided by AHN ensures close contact with clinical colleagues, and ongoing work allows participation in the development of Phase I clinical trials.  Emphasis will be placed upon research projects that provide potential for clinical translation in less than 10 years.  Basic science backgrounds and interests are most welcome, but basic discovery is a secondary priority to clinical translation in this position.

This position requires a sophisticated background in molecular biology, with extensive experience in cloning of gene expression constructs (e.g. plasmid vectors).  Applications are invited from gifted individuals of varying backgrounds, provided the requirements for molecular biology expertise are met.

Job Responsibilities:

• Initiates, develops, and directs research projects, including writing grant applications for support of research projects.
• Produces and validates gene therapy reagents, including vectors and reporter gene assays.
• Produces applications and systems that advance the capability of the Institute to perform state-of the-art research and development in the respective field.
• Communicates results with the scientific community through peer reviewed journals and scientific conferences.
• Prepares reports and scientific papers to report on the results of the project.
• Coordinates testing of the developed software/hardware systems in the laboratory tests, prepares for clinical testing, supports clinical tests, and makes necessary improvements.
• Oversees the work of technical staff, postdocs, and other personnel involved in the project under his/her direction.
• Performs other duties as assigned or required.

Qualifications:

• Required- MD, PhD, or MD/PhD in life sciences, broadly defined (including biochemistry, genetics, etc).
• Applications will only be considered from applicants currently residing in the United States.
• Ability to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship will be considered for exceptionally qualified applicants.
• 3-5 years of postdoctoral training in a research setting is required.
• At least 3 years of molecular biology experience, including expert skills in molecular cloning.
• Must be able to independently manage research programs and small numbers of technical support staff, communicate effectively in English in verbal and written form.
• Evidence of previous productivity, as demonstrated by publications in scientific journals.