Senior Scientific Researcher - Psychiatry - 141631

UCSD Department of Psychiatry is one of the most innovative and productive academic departments in the country, offering challenging career opportunities in the diverse areas of advanced educational programs, cutting-edge research, and state-of-the-art clinical services. The department is committed to offering a dynamic learning environment and growing opportunities to its talented and dedicated employees.

Under direction of the Principal Investigator, the Senior Scientific Researcher will support and lead research activities in a laboratory focused on the neurobiology of addiction, behavioral pharmacology, and experimental therapeutics for substance use disorders. The incumbent will contribute to the design, execution, coordination, and analysis of complex pre-clinical studies involving rodent models of alcohol and drug dependence. The incumbent will design, perform, and oversee advanced animal behavior experiments, including operant alcohol self-administration, chronic intermittent ethanol vapor exposure, intravenous drug self-administration, extended-access drug intake, progressive-ratio responding, reinstatement procedures, withdrawal-related behavior assays, nociceptive sensitivity testing, anxiety-like behavior assays, and pharmacological treatment studies. Responsibilities may also include surgical and drug-delivery procedures, such as intravenous catheterization, intracranial delivery approaches, and systemic drug administration. The incumbent will provide senior-level oversight of daily research operations, including coordination of animal cohorts, experimental timelines, protocol standardization, troubleshooting, staff training, data quality control, and compliance with approved animal, biosafety, and laboratory safety protocols.

The position requires independent judgment and advanced technical expertise to ensure that studies are conducted rigorously, reproducibly, and according to grant timelines. The incumbent will oversee and participate in biological sample collection, processing, tracking, and analysis, including brain-region dissection, blood and tissue collection, sample preservation, inventory management, and coordination with internal and external collaborators. Wet-laboratory responsibilities may include immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, Western blotting, RT-qPCR, microscopy, tissue processing, and preparation of samples for sequencing, transcriptomic, imaging, or other molecular analyses.

The incumbent will contribute to data management, statistical analysis, and visualization of behavioral and biological datasets using appropriate software platforms, including R, Python, or related tools when applicable. The incumbent will also contribute intellectually to experimental design, interpretation of results, grant applications, progress reports, IACUC protocols, scientific presentations, and peer-reviewed manuscripts. The Senior Scientific Researcher will train, lead, and advise technicians, students, and postdoctoral fellows and will serve as a senior technical and operational resource for the laboratory. This position requires advanced expertise in pre-clinical addiction research, strong organizational and leadership skills, and the ability to support multiple funded projects, while maintaining high standards of scientific rigor, compliance, and reproducibility.

• Advanced experience with rodent models of addiction-like behavior, including intravenous drug self-administration and operant alcohol self-administration, and the associated surgical procedures (intravenous catheterization, intracranial cannulation).

• Demonstrated expertise to lead preclinical studies from inception to completion: formulating research questions, designing experiments, analyzing and interpreting data, and presenting results in publications and scientific presentations.

• Demonstrated experience overseeing daily research operations, including coordination of animal cohorts and experimental timelines, standard operating procedures, and data quality control.

• Working knowledge of regulatory requirements for animal research with controlled substances, including IACUC protocols and amendments, DEA controlled-substance procedures, and EHS laboratory safety.

• Advanced experience with big data and network analysis using statistical software.

• Strong demonstrated experience to contribute significant original ideas, develop and plan experimental approaches to test the hypotheses proposed by the studies, and to make important original contributions to the design and implementation of research projects, and propose modifications to the course of the studies as needed.

• Advanced ability to assimilate current scientific knowledge, and draw conclusions from data and statistical analyses.

• Exceptional interpersonal skills: ability to effectively interact with all levels of staff and external contacts; ability to work as an effective team member.

• Strong demonstrated experience to mentor students providing a positive and elevating research experience, embracing diversity, while efficiently teaching scientific techniques, science communication and attitude.

• Strong computer aptitude, including experience with word processing and/or spreadsheet software and/or data analysis and database software.

• High level of discretion for confidential work and information; ability to appropriately handle critical information and sensitive situations.

• Demonstrated experience in scientific writing. Extensive knowledge of appropriate reporting formats and standards.

• Advanced knowledge of current and relevant granting agencies and grant opportunities. Demonstrated ability to contribute intellectually to grant applications and reports.

• Strong proven ability to take the lead on drafting and submission of abstracts, slides, and handouts posters, panels, and seminars, for departmentally provided continuing education, as well as local, national, and international conferences.

• Proven leadership and management experience and skills. Strong decision-making and ability to use independent judgement and to respond effectively to unexpected events or changes.

• Demonstrated experience with tissue collection and processing and with molecular methods such as immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, Western blotting, and RT-qPCR.

• Advanced experience with molecular analysis techniques (immunohistochemistry, Western Blot, RT-qPCR, RNAseq, whole-brain clearing, EMSA, SDS-PAGE).

• Demonstrated experience with dependence and relapse models, such as chronic intermittent ethanol vapor exposure, extended-access drug self-administration, and reinstatement procedures.

• Post-doctoral experience in neuroscience, pharmacology, or a related field.

• Experience with R or Python for data management and analysis.

• Experience in pharmaceutical or translational drug discovery.

• Employment is subject to a criminal background check.

• Must be able to work various hours and locations based on business needs.