Laboratory Manager

University of British Columbia; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 64,000 - 91,000; Full time

Job summary

The McDiarmid Laboratory at the University of British Columbia is seeking a Laboratory Manager to lead the operational and scientific backbone of a growing research program in neurobiology engineering. You will oversee NEEO lab operations, drive high-throughput workflows, and coordinate with Dr.

Troy McDiarmid on research execution and training. Responsibilities include managing hiPSC culture and genomic workflows, ensuring regulatory compliance, and mentoring graduate students and staff in lab

Qualifications

• Minimum: Undergraduate degree and 2 years related experience.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• Familiarity with biosafety, ethics submissions, and regulatory docs.

Responsibilities

• Manage lab operations including hiPSC culture, neural differentiation, and genomic library construction.
• Plan and oversee complex genomic library and synthetic circuit projects.
• Oversee day-to-day lab operations and supply management.
• Lead biosafety compliance, ethics submissions, and safety liaison with UBC Safety & Risk Services.
• Mentor graduate students, postdocs, and staff in lab techniques and SOPs.
• Manage grants, budgets, and project planning.

Skills

Lab management

Stem cell culture

CRISPR screening

Genomics data

Grant writing

Mentoring

Education

Undergraduate degree

Life sciences degree preferred

Tools

R

Python

LIMS

Job description

Staff - Non Union

Job Category

M&P - AAPS

Job Profile

AAPS Salaried - Research and Facilitation, Level A

Job Title

Laboratory Manager

Department

McDiarmid Laboratory | School of Biomedical Engineering | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range

$5,692.25 - $8,179.50 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date

September 28, 2026

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

December 31, 2027

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary
The McDiarmid Lab is seeking a Laboratory Manager to serve as the operational and scientific backbone of a new, rapidly growing research program at UBC’s School of Biomedical Engineering. The successful candidate will join at the ground floor of the lab and lead the research operations of UBC NEEO - the platform for Neurobiological Enhancer Engineering and Observation.

The McDiarmid Lab develops and applies scalable genome engineering and synthetic biology technologies to study gene regulation in the brain and engineer new cell and gene therapies for disorders of the nervous system. Our research is organized around two complementary arms: multiplex single-cell CRISPR screening to identify enhancers and the genes they regulate across iPSC-derived models of the human brain, and molecular recording - a transformative new class of synthetic biology technology that writes dynamic cellular events as permanent, sequential records directly in genomic DNA. These approaches are being applied to reconstruct the gene regulatory cascades that underlie neurodevelopment, learning, and disease, and are already being leveraged toward precision gene therapies for severe neurodevelopmental disorders. Building and operating this program - at the intersection of stem cell engineering, functional genomics, and synthetic biology requires someone who is as excited by the science as they are by the challenge of making a complex, high-throughput research platform run with precision and efficiency. The Laboratory Manager will work closely with Dr. McDiarmid to translate scientific vision into experimental reality, taking ownership of the lab’s operational and scientific priorities while contributing creatively to an ambitious and fast-moving research program.

The School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is a partnership between the Faculties of Applied Science and Medicine, established in 2017. The school is a nucleus for education and training, research, and innovation in biomedical engineering, creating new knowledge, new academic and training programs, and fostering translation and innovation. Its vision is to transform health and healthcare for all, achieved through innovative research and education at the convergence of engineering, medicine and biology. Through collaborative, innovative, and interdisciplinary approaches and building on UBC’s academic and research excellence, the School of Biomedical Engineering aspires to be a global leader in biomedical engineering research, education and translation. The SBME has two locations on Vancouver’s campus, the Gordon B Shrum building and the Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). For more information about the School of Biomedical Engineering, please visit https://www.bme.ubc.ca/.

Organizational Status
Reports directly to the Principal Investigator, Dr. Troy McDiarmid. Serves as the primary operational and scientific leader of the laboratory, functioning as a close partner to the PI in both research execution and lab management. Coordinates the administrative and operational needs of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and technical staff. Liaises with UBC core facilities, industry partners, funding agencies, and collaborating labs within Canada and internationally.

Work Performed
1. Establishes and Leads UBC NEEO Laboratory Operations

• Manages research study involving research design, modification and development related to the lab’s human iPSC culture, engineering, and neural differentiation platform - overseeing the lab operations, and ensuring reliable, reproducible operation across all stem cell-based experiments.
• Project planning, implementation and execution to facilitate the lab’s complex genomic library and synthetic genetic circuit construction platform.
• Oversees day-to-day laboratory operations including, supply management.
• Leads compliance with human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) research protocols; manages biosafety applications, ethics submissions, and regulatory documentation; serves as the lab’s primary safety representative and liaison with UBC Safety & Risk Services.
• Leads combined computational and experimental projects supporting core CRISPR screening and molecular recording technology development and application platforms.
• Manages research design, modification and development, including overseeing the development of standard operating procedures and developing onboarding materials and training resources; training and mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduate researchers in core laboratory competencies.

2. Manages Research Projects, Grants, and Strategic Planning

• Manages the lab’s portfolio of active grants and projects.
• Contributes to the preparation of grant applications, progress reports, and funding proposals to agencies including CIHR, NSERC, CFI, and other Canadian and international funders. Responsibilities include drafting sections of these documents and conducting preliminary analysis.
• Manages preparation and submission of intricate biosafety, ethics, and regulatory documentation for new and ongoing projects, including material transfer agreements. This is considerably complex for stem cell derived organoid work.
• Provides strategic recommendations on new project directions by synthesizing relevant literature and assessing alignment with the lab’s research priorities and funding landscape.
• Drafts sections, manages data, facilitates submission of manuscripts, fellowship applications, and scientific presentations; serves as co-author on research publications.

3. Contributes to Research Execution and Knowledge Mobilization

In addition to operational leadership, the Laboratory Manager contributes directly to research delivery, and supports the lab’s knowledge mobilization and translation activities.

• Facilitates and attends meetings to define strategy regarding development of technology translation and commercialization strategies for the lab’s novel tools, in collaboration with Innovation UBC and SBME Innovates.
• Acts as a liaison between the lab and industry collaborators and academic partners; manages communications and coordinates collaborative research activities.
• Promotes the lab’s research within the SBME community; participates in relevant committees, working groups, and school-level initiatives.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

The Laboratory Manager has primary responsibility for the lab’s operational and administrative integrity. Errors in platform management, compliance, financial oversight, or project coordination could compromise experimental reproducibility, jeopardize grant funding, and delay the lab’s scientific progress. The Laboratory Manager must exercise rigorous operational and scientific judgment at all times.

Supervision Received
Works under the general direction of Dr. Troy McDiarmid within established research priorities and institutional policies. The Laboratory Manager operates with considerable independence and initiative in managing laboratory operations and administrative functions. Work is reviewed periodically against operational and research objectives.

Supervision Given
May assign and check the work of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, undergraduate researchers and support staff. Provides day-to-day operational direction and mentorship to lab members on laboratory techniques, safety protocols, and administrative tasks.

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of two years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• A degree in a life sciences, biomedical engineering, or related discipline strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing or co-managing laboratory operations in an academic or industry research environment, including equipment oversight, supply management, and safety compliance.
• Hands-on experience with human iPSC culture, neural differentiation, or stem cell-derived models, including associated molecular biology and cell engineering workflows an asset.
• Experience with CRISPR-based genome engineering, viral transduction (AAV or lentiviral), or related gene delivery and functional screening approaches preferred.
• Experience with in vitro pharmacology, preclinical study design, or translational neuroscience or rare disease research in an academic or industry setting preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage multi-step research programs, coordinating timelines, priorities, and deliverables across concurrent projects.
• Experience with research administration, including grant preparation, budget management, expenditure tracking, and compliance documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to develop operational tools such as financial dashboards, SOPs, and laboratory management systems.
• Basic proficiency with command-line tools or scripting for data organization; experience with R or Python for genomics data processing is an asset.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including demonstrated contributions to grant writing, manuscript preparation, or regulatory documentation.
• Proven ability to train and mentor junior researchers and build a rigorous, collaborative laboratory culture.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with interest in technology translation, commercialization, and academic-industry partnerships.
• Familiarity with UBC or Canadian university research