Blackburn Lab – Junior Specialist

About the role

The Blackburn Lab at UCSF Mission Bay is seeking a Junior Specialist to support research on telomere biology and immunology. The role involves laboratory work with human blood samples, coordination with core facilities, data analysis, and contribution to manuscript preparation.

Responsibilities

• Isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from clinical study participants.
• Coordinate transfer of samples between the Blackburn Lab (Mission Bay) and the UCSF Core Immunology Laboratory at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
• Perform telomere length and telomerase activity assays.
• Receive training from the Core Immunology Laboratory to perform flow cytometry analysis.
• Perform and present basic analysis of telomere length, telomerase activity, and flow cytometry data using Microsoft Office Suite and other relevant commercial software.
• Work with the team's statisticians to contribute to data analysis and manuscript writing.

Requirements

• Baccalaureate degree (or equivalent) in biology, biochemistry, immunology, microbiology, or a closely related life science field, or at least four years of research experience.
• Hands‑on experience working in a cell biology or molecular biology lab.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office suite programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Willingness to learn new lab techniques and software.

Qualifications

• Experience working with human blood.
• Experience with PCR and qPCR.
• Experience with statistical programs such as GraphPad Prism.

Pay

A reasonable estimate for this position is $57,000–$60,700 (see Table 24B for the official salary range).