Research Scientist

About the role

The Institute for Medical Research (IMR), an affiliate of the Durham VA Health Care System (DVAHCS), is looking for a Research Scientist to join a multidisciplinary clinical research team under Dr. Christopher Woods. The incumbent will play a central role in advancing cutting-edge research within the Veterans Health Administration by supporting several existing studies and initiating new hypothesis-driven research within the DVAHCS. This role involves close collaboration with the Research Program Manager, the MERL Laboratory Director, and the Principal Investigator (Dr. Woods), as well as research personnel, MDs, PhDs, and clinical staff at the DVAMC and other VHA stations. The position is on-site at the Durham VA Medical Center, requiring 4–5 days per week in-office.

Responsibilities

• Critical Element 1: Research Study Design and Execution
  • Design, plan, and conduct collaborative research projects aligned with the research priorities of the Woods group and the VHA
  • Perform and oversee advanced laboratory techniques
  • Support management of large clinical specimen biorepositories, including maintaining inventories and corresponding annotations
• Critical Element 2: Data Analysis & Bioinformatics
  • Ensure appropriate annotation and storage of derived datasets, including experimental keys, and raw and processed data
  • Participate in the extraction, processing, and analysis of large-scale datasets using established and novel pipelines
  • Collaborate with bioinformatics and computational teams to extract, analyze, and interpret data
  • Apply statistical and machine learning approaches to derive meaningful biological and epidemiological insights from complex datasets
• Critical Element 3: Scientific Communication and Collaboration
  • Prepare manuscripts, research reports, and presentations for peer-reviewed publication and scientific conferences
  • Contribute to grant writing and funding applications in support of research group priorities
  • Provide training, mentorship, and scientific guidance to students, fellows, and research staff as appropriate
  • Collaborate with other research staff to ensure study milestones and objectives are met
  • Collaborate with internal and external partners, including administrative, regulatory, clinical, computational, and translational teams
• Critical Element 4: Laboratory and Operational Oversight
  • Support and execute day-to-day operational decisions as appropriate
  • Maintain detailed and accurate laboratory records and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in compliance with institutional and regulatory standards
  • Ensure compliance with laboratory biosafety protocols, IRB/IACUC requirements, and local/national VHA research policies
  • Contribute to the management, maintenance, and quality assurance of laboratory equipment and reagents
  • Participate in study meetings, conference calls, and leadership discussions

Requirements

• Education
  • Terminal degree in a relevant scientific field
• Required Experience
  • Proven track record of peer-reviewed publications in relevant scientific literature
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex scientific findings clearly to diverse audiences
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team
• Preferred Experience
  • Postdoctoral research experience in infectious diseases, immunology, molecular epidemiology, or a related field
  • Experience working with primary human samples including blood and blood derivatives, tissues, or respiratory specimens
  • Proficiency or familiarity with programming languages used in bioinformatics (e.g., R, Python, SQL)
  • Proficiency or familiarity with bioinformatics tools, pipelines, and outputs for sequencing data analysis
  • Familiarity with clinical or translational research environments and regulatory frameworks
  • Grant writing experience and a demonstrated ability to contribute to successful funding applications
• Degrees, Licensures, Certifications
  • None required beyond the education requirement

Pay

Salary range: $85,500 – $92,850 per year.

Schedule

Full-time, on-site at the Durham VA Medical Center (Durham, NC). The role requires 4–5 days per week in-office.

Additional Information

Residency Requirement: As a condition of employment with IMR, employees must reside within the State of North Carolina and maintain a reasonable commuting distance to their assigned work location throughout the duration of their employment. Failure to maintain North Carolina residency may result in corrective action, up to and including termination.