Job Information
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Scientist I, Infectious Disease Monitoring in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Research Scientist I, Infectious Disease Monitoring
Job Number: 24095
Functional Area: Research - Scientific
Department: Media Lab
School Area: Architecture & Planning
Employment Type: Full-time Temporary (Hybrid)
Employment Category: Exempt
Visa Sponsorship Available: Yes
Schedule:
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Job Description
RESEARCH SCIENTIST I, INFECTIOUS DISEASE MONITORING, Media Lab, to join Professor Kevin Esvelt and the Sculpting Evolution (https://www.media.mit.edu/groups/sculpting-evolution/overview/) research group, who launched the Nucleic Acid Observatory (NAO) project to pioneer reliable, pathogen-agnostic early warning of future pandemics through untargeted metagenomic sequencing. Responsibilities include co-leading the wet-lab research team, designing and carrying out complex metagenomic experiments, and helping to implement an active biosurveillance system; conceiving, designing, and executing experiments to evaluate and improve their biosurveillance processes; overseeing and carrying out sample and library processing as part of their ongoing monitoring efforts; and publishing key results to inform the wider biosurveillance community. A full job description is available at https://www.media.mit.edu/about/job-opportunities/.
Job Requirements
REQUIRED: Ph.D. or another doctoral degree in a relevant field such as biology, biological engineering, or environmental science; at least two years of experience with standard biological assays and molecular biology techniques and with high-throughput sequencing (experience with library preparation protocols preferred); and scientific expertise in one or more fields supporting the group’s primary research interests, including metagenomics, virology, microbiology, environmental DNA, infectious disease epidemiology, wastewater monitoring, and long-read sequencing. PREFERRED: at least two years of relevant postdoc and/or industry experience; scientific expertise in two or more fields supporting the group’s primary research interests; a record of publishing in academic publications in relevant research fields; experience in research management (e.g., managing research technicians or graduate students); experience working with human wastewater and/or respiratory swab samples, or otherwise working in BSL2+ conditions. Job #24095 This is a one-year appointment with the possibility of extension based on funding and the course of researh. 5/30/24