Assistant Project Scientist Position in Cardiology - Deb Lab 2026-2027

1000scholars; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Deb Laboratory in the Division of Cardiology at UCLA seeks an Assistant Project Scientist to lead research on the methionine salvage pathway (MSP) and its metabolite in cardiovascular disease. The role is independent and NIH-funded, with responsibilities spanning experimental design, data analysis, manuscript preparation, and mentorship.

Applicants should have a Ph.D. or equivalent and a track record in cardiovascular or metabolism research.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent required.
• Direct experience in cardiovascular/metabolic research preferred.
• Strong skills in molecular biology and epigenomics techniques.

Responsibilities

• Design, lead and execute research projects on MSP and cardiac metabolism.
• Utilize mouse models including conditional knockouts and advanced phenotyping.
• Perform isotope tracing, metabolomics, and energetics studies.
• Generate and analyze single-cell multi-omics data and integrate with human data.
• Develop human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and organoids for validation.
• Prepare manuscripts and assist in grant applications; present at conferences.
• Mentor graduate students and technicians; collaborate across teams.

Skills

Cardiovascular research

Molecular biology

Genetically engineered mouse models

Epigenomics

Bioinformatics

Education

Ph.D. in a related field

Tools

Single-cell sequencing

Isotope tracing

Metabolomics workflows

iPSC/organoid culture

Job description

The Deb Laboratory in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is seeking an Assistant Project Scientist to lead research on the role of the methionine salvage pathway (MSP) and its metabolite in cardiovascular disease. This is an independent, research-intensive position within a well-funded, highly collaborative program supported by NIH grants. The successful candidate will investigate how MSP-dependent molecular and metabolic mechanisms regulate cardiac function, remodeling and organ repair, and will help translate these findings into therapeutic strategies. A Ph.D. or equivalent is required.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, lead and execute research projects on the molecular mechanisms by which the methionine salvage pathway regulates cardiac metabolism and the cardiac epigenome in cardiovascular disease.
• Utilize and further develop genetically engineered mouse models of cardiovascular disease, including cell-type-specific conditional knockout models.
• Perform and interpret in vivo/in vitro isotope metabolic tracing, targeted and untargeted metabolomics, and energetics studies.
• Generate and analyze single-cell multi-omics sequencing, methylation sequencing and metabolomics datasets, integrating them with human heart failure cohort data.
• Establish and apply human iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte and organoid systems for mechanistic and target-validation studies.
• Prepare manuscripts, figures and conference presentations; contribute to grant applications and progress reports.
• Train and mentor graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and technicians.
• Contribute to collaborative projects on tissue repair and translational therapeutics.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct research experience with the cardiac metabolism research.
• Experience with mouse models and echocardiographic/hemodynamic phenotyping.
• Proficiency in standard molecular and biochemical techniques.
• Expertise in single-cell/single-nucleus multiome analysis and epigenomic profiling.
• Experience with stem cell, iPSC or organoid culture systems.
• Publications in high-impact journals in cardiovascular research, metabolism or cell biology.

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