CryoEM Staff Scientist

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI); United States; On-site; USD 97,000 - 121,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-site childcare

Campus housing

Shuttle service to DC metro

Job summary

HHMI's Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, VA seeks a scientist to lead cryoEM collaborations, run end-to-end microscopes, and develop new protocols. You will work with biologists and computational scientists, planning experiments with users, reviewing results, and advancing techniques across multiple projects.

The role emphasizes hands-on hardware fluency, data handling, and teaching others, with responsibilities spanning sample prep, data collection, and image processing in a collaborative

Qualifications

• PhD in a related field; think like a collaborator rather than an instrument operator.

Responsibilities

• Run the microscopes end to end.
• Operate and maintain equipment from sample-preparation systems to the Krios microscopes, and troubleshoot hardware and software issues with peers and vendor engineers.
• Own pieces of collaboration projects.
• Lead the cryoEM portion of research collaborations, from planning experiments through reviewing results and proposing next steps.
• Build new protocols and methods.
• Develop, implement, and test new protocols for sample preparation, data collection, and image processing, and fold what works into the facility's standard workflow.
• Keep the facility current.
• Track new developments in cryoEM and bring useful techniques back into the workflow.
• Teach it forward and train users and new staff on cryoEM methods and equipment.
• Handle the physical realities: manage samples, cryogen dewars, and dry shippers.
• Manage and transfer data properly.

Skills

CryoEM hardware fluency

Linux

Bash scripting

Python basics

Teaching/training

Project management

CryoEM sample prep

Image processing

Education

PhD in related field

Tools

Krios microscope

Aquilos2

Hydra cryo FIB-SEM

Grid-prep setup

Job description

Primary Work Address: 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, 20147 Current HHMI Employees,

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus is a pioneering research center in Ashburn, Virginia, where scientists pursue fundamental questions in the life sciences.

Our integrated teams of biologists, computational scientists, and tool-builders innovate research practices and technologies to solve biology’s deepest mysteries.

HHMI launched Janelia in 2006, establishing an intellectually enriching environment for scientists to do creative, collaborative, hands‑on work.

We share our methods, results, and tools with the scientific community.

This is a role for someone who wants their scientific judgment to show up in other people's data, not just their own.

The CryoEM Shared Resource at Janelia Research Campus runs four highly configured Titan Krios microscopes, an Aquilos2 and a Hydra cryo FIBSEM, screening electron microscopes, cryo light microscopes, and a full grid‑preparation setup, serving structural and cell biologists across the entire HHMI community.

You'll collect high‑throughput data for users, take a leading role in the cryoEM side of collaboration projects, and build new methods and protocols when the existing ones fall short.

You'll work closely with users and collaborators throughout: planning experiments together, reviewing what the data shows, and figuring out the next step as a peer, not just an instrument operator.

What you will actually do

• Run the microscopes, end to end.
• Operate and maintain equipment from sample‑preparation systems to the Krios microscopes, and troubleshoot hardware and software issues directly with peers and vendor engineers.
• Own pieces of collaboration projects.
• Take a leading role in the cryoEM portion of research collaborations, from planning experiments through reviewing results and proposing next steps.
• Build new protocols and methods.
• Develop, implement, and test new protocols for sample preparation, data collection, and image processing, and fold what works into the facility's standard workflow.
• Keep the facility current.
• Track new developments in cryoEM and actively bring useful techniques back into the workflow rather than waiting for someone else to.
• Teach it forward.
• Train users and new staff on cryoEM methods and equipment so the facility's expertise doesn't live in one person's head.
• Handle the physical realities.
• Manage samples, cryogen dewars, and dry shippers correctly.
• A mishandled sample is data nobody gets back.
• Manage and transfer data properly.

What we are looking for

• A scientist first. You hold a PhD in a related field and think about an experiment the way a collaborator would, not just an instrument operator.
• Fluent in the hardware.
• Comfortable with Linux, bash scripting, and basic Python, enough to troubleshoot a problem rather than just report it.
• Steady inside a moving target.
• You can hold several concurrent user projects in your head and still make room for whatever breaks that day.
• A real teacher. You enjoy explaining a technique as much as running it, and training someone else doesn't feel like a distraction from your work.
• Hands‑on experience with cryoEM sample preparation, data collection, or image processing. (Nice to have)
• A background in 4D STEM, if you're coming from outside biology. (Nice to have)
• Experience with image‑processing software. (Nice to have)

What this role is not

Not a role you can do on scientific judgment alone. You're also running and troubleshooting sophisticated hardware every day, hands on. Not a role you can do on technical skill alone. You're constantly translating what a user needs into an experiment, then explaining the result back to them. Not a customer-service role that happens to sit next to a microscope. The service mindset matters, but so does the science and the hardware fluency behind it.

Practical details

Based on site at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia.

Requires a PhD in a related field.

Benefits

• On‑site childcare
• Campus housing
• Shuttle service to and from the Washington, DC metro area

Physical Requirements

• Remaining in a normal seated or standing position for extended periods of time;
• Reaching and grasping by extending hand(s) or arm(s);
• Dexterity to manipulate objects with fingers, for example using a keyboard;
• Communication skills using the spoken word;
• Ability to see and hear within normal parameters;
• Ability to move about workspace.

The position requires mobility, including the ability to move materials weighing up to several pounds (such as a laptop computer or tablet).

Persons with disabilities may be able to perform the essential duties of this position with reasonable accommodation.

Requests for reasonable accommodation will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Compensation and Benefits

• Our employees are compensated from a total rewards perspective in many ways for their contributions to our mission, including competitive pay, exceptional health benefits, retirement plans, time off, and a range of recognition and wellness programs.

Visit our Benefits at HHMI site to learn more.

Hiring Pay Range $97,082.22 - $121,352.77 Pay Type: Annual

The posted range reflects HHMI’s good faith estimate of the anticipated hiring salary range for this role at the time of posting. Actual hiring compensation is determined by a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and internal equity.

HHMI is an Equal Opportunity Employer

We use E‑Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an independent, ever‑evolving philanthropy that supports basic biomedical scientists and educators with the potential for transformative impact. We make long‑term investments in people, not just projects, because we believe in the power of individuals to make breakthroughs over time.

Why HHMI

To move science forward we need a diverse collection of talents, expertise, and backgrounds in scientific research and science education, as well as communications, finance, human resources, information technology, investments, law, and operations.

At HHMI, we encourage collaborative and results‑driven working styles and offer an adaptable environment where employees can do their best work.

What makes us strong is the diversity of our perspectives. We work to promote a culture of inclusion in our work environments and across the greater scientific community. To find more information about us and the steps we're taking to make HHMI a more inclusive organization, visit our About Us page.

Please Note: This job description sets forth the job’s principal duties, responsibilities, and requirements; it should not be construed as an exhaustive statement, however. Unless they begin with the word “may,” the Essential Duties and Responsibilities described above are “essential functions” of the job, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Applicants have rights under federal employment laws. For more information about your rights as an applicant, please review these posters: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Know Your Rights, and Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA).