Assistant Project Scientist in single cell Genomics and disease modeling
The University of California, Los Angeles
About this position
Position Overview
Position title: Assistant Project Scientist Salary range: $79,400- $92,200 Review timeline: Initial review August 31.
Application Deadline
Open date: August 10, 2026 Next review date:Monday, Aug 31, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee. Final date: Thursday, Sep 10, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position Description
An NIH-funded full-time position for an Assistant or Associate Project Scientist is immediately available, Supervised by Dr. Daniel Geschwind in the Department of Neurology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. We are looking for a motivated individual interested in working at the interface of genetics, single cell genomics, and disease modeling to investigate the mechanisms of disease genetics through single cell mutliomics and spatial transcriptomics. The Geschwind lab is located within the Gonda building and Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and Human Genetics at UCLA. The Geschwind Lab focuses on experimental and developmental neurobiology, modeling of human cortical development using stem cells, and gene regulation and employs systems-level, computational, multi-omic approaches using human brain samples to investigate the biological mechanisms underlying genetic risk for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, including autism. Our long-term goals are to translate genetic findings into practical therapeutics for neuropsychiatric disease. Requirements A successful candidate will have the following qualifications: • PhD in biological sciences • Expertise with multi-omic library generation from postmortem brain • Expertise in Spatial Transcriptomics • Fluency with bioinformatic analysis pipelines for single cell RNA and ATAC as well as Spatial omics • Knowledge and background experience of working with ASD and ASD model systems. • Ability to work independently within a collaborative multi-disciplinary team-based environment • Motivation to learn and develop expertise in cutting-edge genome engineering and stem cell-based methodologies • Strong oral and written communication skills to present and publish research findings • Track record training and mentoring junior scientists Experience with neural stem cell models, functional genomics assays (e.g., scRNA-seq, ATAC-seq), and/or CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering are required. All backgrounds will be considered. The appointed researcher will be embedded within a highly interdisciplinary team of neural stem cell and developmental biologists, computational biologists, bioinformaticians, statistical geneticists, and clinicians. The successful candidate will help develop and implement high-throughput genome engineering and genomic assays in cortical organoid cultures established from patient stem cell lines. Training opportunities and mentorship in wet-lab stem cell modeling and dry-lab genomics techniques will be provided by the PI. Application Procedure: Application procedure: Apply by submitting your application to our online RECRUIT system at Browse Open Recruitments or Log In - UCLA Academic RECRUIT Screening of applicants will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Document requirements Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V. Cover Letter (Optional) Statement of Research (Optional) Reference check authorization release form - Complete and upload the reference check authorization release form The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and step at appointment. See T37 B The salary range for this position is $79,400- $92,200 The shared values of the DGSOM are expressed in the Cultural North Star, which was developed by members of our community and affirms our unswerving commitment to doing what’s right, making things better, and being kind. These are the standards to which we hold ourselves, and one another. Please read more about this important DGSOM program at Medical School | Cultural North Star | UCLA Medical School. All aspects of searches are confidential and all candidates are expected to review and abide by UC Regents Policy 1111 on Statement on Ethical Values and Standards of Conduct Statement on Ethical Values and Standards of Conduct). The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, bullying and other demeaning behavior, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment as well as a commitment to addressing all forms of academic misconduct, UCLA conducts targeted employment reference checks for finalists to whom departments or other hiring units would like to extend formal offers of appointment into Academic Senate faculty positions. The targeted employment reference checks involve contacting the finalists’ current and prior places of employment to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UCLA requires all applicants for Academic Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into RECRUIT as part of their application. If the applicant does not include the signed authorization to release information with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete. As with any incomplete application, the application will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists (i.e., those to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer) considered for Academic Senate faculty positions will be subject to targeted employment reference checks.
Qualifications
Basic qualificationsPhD in biological sciences Additional qualifications• Expertise with multi-omic library generation from postmortem brain • Expertise in Spatial Transcriptomics • Fluency with bioinformatic analysis pipelines for single cell RNA and ATAC as well as Spatial omics • Knowledge and background experience of working with ASD and ASD model systems. • Ability to work independently within a collaborative multi-disciplinary team-based environment • Motivation to learn and develop expertise in cutting-edge genome engineering and stem cell-based methodologies • Strong oral and written communication skills to present and publish research findings • Track record training and mentoring junior scientists
Application Requirements
Document requirementsCurriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V. Cover Letter (Optional) Statement of Research (Optional) Reference check authorization release form - Complete and upload the reference check authorization release form UCLA Mission Statement - As the nation's premier public research university, UC's mission is the creation, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society. We have a particular responsibility to the people of California which we express in the excellence of the education we provide, the impact of the research we do, the comprehensive, life-saving medical services we provide, and the public service mission we are devoted to. The University of California promotes the social mobility of its students, equips them with the tools and experience that furthers their ambitions, and regards their accomplishments across the life span as evidence of the profoundly positive impact of higher education. The UCLA campus has expressed these goals in its strategic plan as follows: Deepen our engagement with Los Angeles Expand our reach as a global university Enhance our research and creative activities Elevate how we teach Become a more effective institution Prompt for candidates for recruitment: Reflecting on your personal and professional experiences, highlight your past contributions and future commitments to advancing UCLA's mission as embodied in the 2023-28 strategic plan. These accomplishments and ambitions may be discussed in the context of describing your teaching, scholarship, and service Reference requirements 3-5 required (contact information only) Applicants must provide the names and contact information of their references. The hiring unit will request confidential letters from the references of those applicants who are under serious consideration. Apply link:https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF11256 Help contact:jshinn@mednet.ucla.edu