Applied Research Lead

About Hadrian

Hadrian is a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring civilization can withstand and recover from severe biological crises, including AI-enabled pandemics. Hadrian models severe biological crisis scenarios and delivers the capabilities needed to withstand them, including crisis preparedness and response infrastructure, and highly effective protective equipment, centered on respiratory protection. Hadrian defends all the systems civilization depends on, serving every level of society, including states, industries, organizations, and individuals. Hadrian is rapidly building the organization required to deliver this strategy. It has assembled a highly experienced team, is supported by leading experts and a strong ecosystem of partners, has secured substantial funding, and is finalizing the build-out of a cutting-edge R&D facility.

About Your Team and Role

The Protective Equipment function at Hadrian defines and develops the highly effective respiratory protection that civilization would need to withstand a severe biological crisis, and produces the scientific evidence that enhances pandemic preparedness. This role will help answer the open scientific questions that stand between where respiratory protection is today and where it needs to be for the next pandemic. In this role, you'll help define and lead applied research programs spanning respirator fit and fit testing methodology, source control, decontamination, extended reuse, and predictive tools for respirator selection. You’ll work with our dedicated research laboratory and have opportunities to partner with outside experts and academic research groups. You will be accountable for research that meets the highest standards of scientific rigor, producing findings the field can act on.

What You Will Own

• The applied research agenda for respiratory protection, working with leadership to identify and prioritize the questions where new evidence would most improve protection, guidance, standards, and acceptance.
• The design and integrity of our research protocols, applying established test methods where they exist and developing rigorous, replicable methods where they do not.
• Delivery of the research portfolio end to end, partnering with our research operations team on the materials, technical training, scheduling, and problem solving that studies require.
• Sharing of research findings by planning, drafting, and publishing peer-reviewed work and presenting it through the scientific and professional channels that shape practice.
• Serving as our subject matter expert on respiratory protection performance standards, supporting our regulatory engagement work across National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) frameworks and United States selection and use standards.
• Serving our Institutional Review Board (IRB) relationships and approvals, so that human subjects research proceeds ethically and without avoidable delay.
• Serving as our external research network of academic groups, independent laboratories, and consultants, giving us access to expertise and facilities we do not have in-house.
• Raise the research capability of the wider team, mentoring colleagues and setting the standards for how we design, run, and report studies as we scale.

Who You Are

• Designed and led original applied research in personal protection through to peer-reviewed publication, working alongside scientists outside your own organization.
• Deep working knowledge of personal protective equipment (PPE), and of respiratory protection specifically, including respirator fit and fit testing.
• Developed test methods and research protocols that withstand scientific and regulatory scrutiny.
• Set priorities and make progress independently in an area where the research agenda is not yet defined.
• Demonstrated written and presentation skills with the clarity and precision needed to represent research findings to scientific, regulatory, and standards audiences.
• Demonstrate Hadrian’s values, described on the Careers page of the website.

Nice to Have

• Doctoral degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health and safety, environmental health sciences, aerosol science, or a related field such as chemistry, biology, or engineering.
• 10+ years of experience in respiratory protection including respirator fit testing, respirator program administration, etc.
• An understanding of respiratory protection standards, regulations, or guidance.
• You are active in relevant professional bodies, such as the International Society for Respiratory Protection (ISRP), the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), or ASTM International.

Your Salary and Benefits

The expected base salary range for this position is $175,000 to $225,000 per year. Actual base pay will be determined based on factors such as relevant experience, education, skills, and geographic location. In addition to base pay, this role is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with company match and flexible PTO.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Hadrian is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression, national origin, age, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, reproductive health decision-making, disability, military and veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.