Director, Sample Preparation and Spatial Technologies Facility, Biotechnology Resource Center (BRC)

Zymtronix Catalytic Systems Inc; City of Ithaca (NY); On-site; USD 112,000 - 116,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health care options

Generous retirement contributions

Tuition benefits and education support

Job summary

The Cornell Institute of Biotechnology's Biotechnology Resource Center (BRC) seeks a Director for the Sample Preparation and Spatial Technologies Facility. The role combines scientific leadership with facility management, enabling researchers to access cutting-edge workflows across genomics, imaging, and multi-omic analyses.

Reporting to the Institute leadership, you will develop integrated sample-prep workflows, supervise staff, manage costs, and foster collaborations with faculty and core

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in biology or related life sciences required with recognized stature.
• Experience operating shared research facilities and managing laboratory operations.
• Significant experience with molecular biology and genomics workflows including sequencing.
• Ability to learn, evaluate, and implement new technologies and workflows.
• Strong collaboration with faculty, trainees, and staff for scientific consultation and training.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific and operational leadership for the Sample Preparation and Spatial Technologies Facility.
• Oversee shared laboratory spaces and ensure safe, efficient operation of instrumentation.
• Provide consultation on experimental design and integration with downstream services.
• Develop and deliver hands-on training for users on workflows and instrumentation.
• Collaborate with other core directors to develop cross-technology workflows.
• Manage cost recovery, budget forecasting, and resource planning.
• Identify opportunities for acquisition or development of new capabilities.
• Lead or contribute to instrumentation and research proposals as appropriate.
• Prepare and present reports to advisory boards and leadership.
• Promote capabilities and build user community across Cornell and external researchers.

Skills

Genomics workflows

Laboratory operations

Collaborative research

Training and mentorship

Shared resource facility operations

Instrumentation oversight

Education

Ph.D. in biology or related life sciences

Experience in lab management

Tools

Next-gen sequencing platforms

Single-cell & spatial omics

Protein/Proteomics

Flow cytometry

Bioinformatics

Job description

Director, Sample Preparation and Spatial Technologies Facility, Biotechnology Resource Center (BRC)

University Title: Research Scientist

Cornell Institute of Biotechnology

Research and Innovation

The Biotechnology Resource Center (BRC) is seeking a Director for the Sample Preparation and Spatial Technologies Facility. This new core facility will provide a staffed, shared laboratory where Cornell researchers in the life sciences can access specialized instrumentation, reagents, protocols, and scientific expertise needed to prepare biological samples for advanced analysis. A central goal is to enable researchers who may not have the necessary expertise, infrastructure, or instrumentation within their own labs to adopt new experimental approaches through hands‑on access, consultation, and training from BRC scientific staff.

The facility will serve as a “front door” to the BRC, helping researchers design and implement sample preparation workflows that connect seamlessly with downstream analytical capabilities across BRC core facilities, including genomics and epigenomics, proteomics and metabolomics, imaging, flow cytometry, and bioinformatics. Supported activities will encompass a broad range of sample preparation workflows as well as emerging and technically complex approaches that span multiple core facilities, including single‑cell and spatial omics technologies.

By bridging individual research laboratories with the BRC’s analytical cores, the facility will lower barriers to adopting sophisticated experimental methods, promote standardized and reproducible workflows, and accelerate discovery across the life sciences.

The mission of the facility is to

• Share technical expertise and provide broad access to specialized equipment, reagents, protocols, and other resources, while promoting efficient use and maintenance of shared instrumentation.
• Lower barriers to adoption of innovative technologies by making sophisticated experimental workflows accessible to investigators across agriculture, veterinary medicine, engineering, and the biological and biomedical sciences.
• Facilitate integrated experimental workflows that connect sample preparation with analytical capabilities across multiple BRC core facilities.
• Create a vibrant, collaborative environment for the development, optimization, evaluation, and adoption of innovative technologies.

The Director will provide leadership, management, and strategic vision for the facility. In addition to overseeing wet laboratory spaces and facility operations, the Director will actively support research through consultation, training, technology development, and collaboration with faculty, staff, and trainees. The Director may participate in collaborative research projects and extramural proposals as PI, co‑PI, or co‑investigator, as appropriate.

The Director will work closely with researchers and units across multiple colleges to understand evolving community needs, develop new capabilities, and build a strong and diverse user community. The Director will work closely with the BRC Director, the facility advisory board, and directors of other BRC core facilities to coordinate services, develop integrated workflows, and contribute to strategic planning across the BRC.

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide scientific and operational leadership for the Sample Preparation and Spatial Technologies Facility and supervise facility personnel.
• Oversee shared laboratory spaces and ensure safe, efficient, and effective operation of facility instrumentation and resources.
• Provide consultation to researchers on experimental design, sample preparation strategies, selection of appropriate technologies, and integration with downstream BRC analytical services.
• Develop and provide introductory and advanced hands‑on training for users in sample preparation workflows, specialized instrumentation, and shared laboratory practices.
• Work collaboratively with other BRC core directors and staff to develop workflows that span multiple technologies and core facilities, including single‑cell and spatial applications.
• Manage cost recovery operations, including development of service and access rates, oversight of facility budget, and forecasting of facility usage and resource needs.
• Assess emerging technologies and community needs and identify opportunities for acquisition or development of new capabilities in coordination with facility stakeholders.
• Lead or collaborate on instrumentation and research proposals, including NIH S10 and other shared instrumentation applications, as PI or co‑PI where appropriate.
• Prepare and present operating, scientific, and strategic reports to facility faculty advisory board and BRC leadership.
• Promote facility capabilities and build the user community through engagement with Cornell and external researchers and coordination with BRC training, consultation, outreach, and communications activities.
• Maintain and develop a portfolio of instrumentation, technologies, protocols, reagents, and associated software responsive to evolving research needs.
• Promote rigorous, reproducible, and safe laboratory practices across facility‑supported workflows.

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, biomedical engineering, or related life sciences discipline and recognized stature in their field.
• Knowledge of life sciences laboratory operations, including laboratory organization, instrumentation, safety, and best practices for shared research environments.
• Significant experience with molecular biology and genomics workflows, including DNA and RNA extraction, PCR, sequencing library preparation, nucleotide sequencing, epigenomic and chromatin profiling assays, or related areas.
• Direct experience operating next-generation sequencing platforms, including library pooling, sequencing recipe design, and library quality control.
• Experience with one or more additional areas relevant to the facility, such as protein or proteomic sample preparation, flow cytometry, imaging, single‑cell methods, spatial biology, cell and tissue processing, preparation of diverse sample types (e.g., frozen mammalian tissues, cell lines, plants, yeast, and bacteria), or other advanced biological technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to learn, evaluate, optimize, and implement new experimental technologies and workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with a broad range of researchers, including faculty, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and others, to provide scientific consultation and training.
• Demonstrated understanding of research core or shared resource facility operations.
• Strong commitment to the mission of shared research facilities and to enabling research across diverse scientific disciplines.
• Supervisory and operational management experience, including training and mentoring technical staff, students, and trainees.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience establishing, optimizing, and delivering full‑service assays in a core facility setting, including protocol optimization, quality control, and technical staff training.
• Experience with multi‑omic assays and with custom library sequencing services.
• Active engagement with the shared resource facility community (e.g., Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities), including leading working groups or contributing to technical guidelines and best practices.
• Teaching and outreach experience at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional level, including laboratory instruction, curriculum development, and mentoring of student researchers.
• Experience preparing grant and equipment proposals to support laboratory instrumentation and research infrastructure.
• Record of peer‑reviewed publications in molecular biology, genomics, or related fields, including published methods or protocols.
• Experience presenting technical and scientific results at national and regional meetings.

The initial appointment is a 3-year term renewable contingent upon continued funding and successful performance.

This is an Endowed position.

Hiring Range for this Position:

$112,000 - $116,000

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience.
• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position.
• Academic Discipline

The Institute of Biotechnology is a dynamic hub for life sciences research at Cornell University. The Institute ( https://www.biotech.cornell.edu ) offers cutting edge biotechnologies, expertise in applications, technology testing and development and consultation for life sciences researchers at Cornell University and outside institutions. The Institute houses the Biotechnology Resource Center (BRC), which offers shared core facilities services to catalyze and promote life sciences research, and is involved with many intercampus initiatives and multi‑institutional collaborations. In addition to Sample Preparation and Spatial Technologies, the BRC includes core facility operations in Genomics, Epigenomics, Proteomics and Metabolomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging, and Flow Cytometry. The Institute also administers the Center for Advanced Technology (CAT) in the Life Sciences to assist life science researchers in the development of biotechnologies with commercial potential in partnership with New York State industries, and the Center for Life Science Ventures, a state‑of‑the‑art business incubator for emerging biotechnology companies. With its extensive network of academic, federal, not‑for‑profit enterprises and commercial partners, the BRC serves as a vital partner in life sciences research and innovation.

Institute of Biotechnology staff enjoy working in a collaborative and innovative organization within Cornell University, an award‑winning employer recognized for supporting employee health, workplace diversity, work‑life fit, and environmental sustainability. Cornell University offers competitive compensation and benefits. The Institute is located on the main Ithaca campus, in the heart of the Finger Lakes of central New York State. Ithaca and the surrounding area is noted for high quality of living surrounded by natural beauty and a vibrant community.

Benefits and rewards include:

• Comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs , employee discounts with local and national retail brands, and more.
• Our leave provisions include three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1.
• Impressive educational benefits include tuition‑free Part‑Time Study and Employee Degree Program, heavily discounted eCornell courses and certificate programs, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program.

Cornellwelcomes students, faculty, and staff with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world‑class education and career opportunities, to further the founding principle of “... any person ... any study.” No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, pregnancy or pregnancy‑related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual’s genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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About Us

Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas to further the university's mission of teaching, discovery and engagement. With our main campus located in Ithaca, NY, Cornell's far‑flung global presence includes the medical college's campuses on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Doha, Qatar, as well as the Cornell Tech campus located on Roosevelt Island in the heart of New York City.

We offer a rich array of services, programs and benefits to help employees advance in their career and enhance the quality of personal life, including: employee wellness, workshops, childcare and adoption assistance, parental leave, flexible work options.