Kampmann Lab - Junior/Assistant Specialist

University of California - San Francisco; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 70,700; Full time

Job summary

A prominent research university in San Francisco is seeking a Junior/Assistant Specialist to join the Kampmann lab. The ideal candidate will contribute to research on neurodegenerative diseases, utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 approaches. Responsibilities include conducting experiments with animal models, data collection, and support of collaborative projects. A commitment of at least one year is required. Ideal candidates will have strong organizational, communication skills, and relevant educational background. This role offers a dynamic research environment and opportunities for independent projects.

Qualifications

• Baccalaureate degree in a relevant field or four years of research experience.
• Master’s degree or equivalent experience is required for certain roles.
• Must be organized and possess strong communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct experiments using murine models of disease.
• Collect brain tissue and perform immunostaining.
• Support collaborative projects requiring CRISPR-based platforms.

Skills

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Excellent communication skills

Education

Baccalaureate degree in Biology, Molecular Biology, or Neuroscience

Master’s degree in Biology, Molecular Biology, or Neuroscience

Tools

MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Job description

Application Window

Open date: February 12, 2026

Next review date: Friday, Apr 3, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) – Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Thursday, Aug 12, 2027 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) – Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position Description

Kampmann Lab – Junior/Assistant Specialist

The Kampmann lab develops and uses innovative technologies to understand cellular and molecular mechanisms of human diseases and to discover new therapeutic strategies. A major focus of our research is on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. To this end, we have established a CRISPR‑based functional genomics platform for genetic screens in both human iPSC‑based and murine models of disease (Tian et al., 2019, Neuron; Ramani et al., 2023, bioRxiv). We are an interdisciplinary group of postdocs, graduate students and staff research associates. We are proud of our lab culture of intellectual curiosity, collaboration, support, and fun! Read more about our lab at kampmannlab.ucsf.edu.

In this position, you will be working as a member of a research team developing innovative, CRISPR/Cas9‑based functional genomics approaches to understand the disease mechanism and to identify potential therapeutic strategies. You must be willing to work in a team, be organized, enjoy problem solving, and have strong communication skills. As you become familiar with our methodology, there will be opportunities to work independently on research projects. Based on your interest and expertise, you will be able to contribute to bioinformatics analysis of data as well.

Responsibilities primarily include working under the guidance of a graduate student or postdoc to conduct experiments using murine models of disease, primary neuronal cultures, and mammalian cell culture. This involves performing in‑vivo experiments such as delivering viral vectors into mice, collecting brain tissue, sectioning and immunostaining tissues, confocal imaging, flow cytometry, preparing samples for next‑generation sequencing and analysis of the resulting datasets. The candidate will also support collaborative projects that require the use of the lab’s CRISPR‑based mouse in‑vivo screening platforms. Approximately 30% of the time will be spent on mouse colony maintenance tasks including setting up mouse breeding cages, weaning, tail/ear clipping, genotyping, promptly responding to mouse health concerns, updating the mouse inventory database, and other administrative tasks related to the mouse facility and IACUC protocols.

A two‑year commitment is preferred; and the candidate must be able to make a one‑year commitment.

Education and Training Qualifications

Required:

• Junior Specialist – Baccalaureate degree in Biology, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, or related fields in the life or medical sciences or at least four years of research experience.
• Assistant Specialist – Master’s degree in Biology, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, or related fields in the life or medical sciences or a Baccalaureate degree in Biology, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, or related fields in the life or medical sciences with three or more years of research experience.

Technical Qualifications

Required:

• Working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Highly organized, attention to detail, demonstrated record-keeping abilities
• Excellent communication skills; good written English and skills to write reports

Preferred

• Experience with mouse handling, including weaning and ear punching
• Experience with mammalian cell culture and primary neuronal culture
• Experience with sectioning and immunostaining of mouse brain tissues
• Experience in molecular biology, such as PCR, molecular cloning
• Experience in biochemistry, such as Western blotting
• Working knowledge of flow cytometry and microscopy
• Bioinformatics experience, such as analysis of imaging or next‑generation sequencing data

Candidates must meet the required qualifications at the time of appointment. Candidate’s CV must state qualifications (or if pending) upon submission.

Please apply online at https://aprecruit.ucsf.edu/JPF05956 with a CV, cover letter, and three references contacts.

See Table 24B for the salary range for this position. A reasonable estimate for this position is $55,000 – $70,700.

Application Requirements

Document Requirements

• Curriculum Vitae – CV must clearly list current and/or pending qualifications (e.g. board eligibility/certification, medical licensure, etc.).
• Cover Letter
• Statement of Research (Optional)
• Statement of Teaching (Optional)

Reference Requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)

About UC San Fresno

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

UCSF is committed to welcoming and serving all people, honoring the dignity of every individual without preference or prejudice, in support of its public mission and in alignment with its PRIDE values and Principles of Community.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

* "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, or discrimination, as defined by the employer.

* UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

* UC Anti-Discrimination Policy

* APM‑035:  Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

Job Location

San Francisco, CA