Scientific Writer / Project Development Scientist

City of Hope; Duarte (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Hope Beckman Research Institute is seeking a Scientific Writer / Project Development Scientist to lead clinical, translational, and basic research with Dr. Christine Lovly in Thoracic Oncology. You will shepherd projects from concept to manuscript, collaborating across disciplines and regulatory domains.

You will contribute to grant design, protocol development, and publication efforts while mentoring under a growth-focused mentorship model as the program expands.

Qualifications

• PhD in biology, biochemistry, or life sciences; or a Master’s with 3+ years in scientific writing.
• Experience with NIH or DOD grant writing at R01 level.
• Proven track record of research success via publications.

Responsibilities

• Develop in-depth knowledge of Thoracic Oncology Program goals and terminology.
• Support project design and grant writing, coordinating submissions.
• Manage grant and project processes including progress reports and regulatory reviews.
• Coordinate clinical trial design, protocols, and regulatory submissions.
• Create clear data figures, model overviews, and preparation slides.
• Organize manuscript writing and oversee submission through proofs.

Skills

Scientific writing

Grant writing

Data analysis

Publications

Communication

Education

PhD in biology/biochemistry/life sciences

Master's with 3+ years scientific writing experience

Tools

MS Word

EndNote

Excel

PowerPoint

Adobe Illustrator

BioRender

Job description

Join the forefront of groundbreaking research at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, where we're changing lives and making a real difference in the fight against cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening illnesses. Our dedicated and compassionate faculty and staff are driven by a common mission: Contribute to innovative approaches in predicting, preventing, and curing diseases, shaping the future of medicine through cutting-edge research.

We are looking for a Scientific Writer / Project Development Scientist who will help lead clinical, translational, and basic research activities in partnership with Dr. Christine Lovly, Chief of the Thoracic Oncology Division at City of Hope. You will work closely with Dr. Lovly, laboratory and clinical researchers, biostatisticians, core facility staff, and regulatory staff to shepherd projects from idea conception to manuscript publication.

You must have a collaborative spirit and will enjoy working in a multi-disciplinary and fast-paced team setting. You must also be meticulously detail oriented and an excellent communicator with a broad scientific background and oncology experience, and along with advanced manuscript and grant writing skills to succeed in this role. You must have experience or express a keen interest in learning about clinical research, protocol writing, regulatory reporting, and research administration. This is a unique hard-money position, where Dr. Lovly seeks a research protégé who wishes to learn and grow under her mentorship – you will advance in your career as the Thoracic Oncology Program grows and succeeds.

As a successful candidate, you will:

• Develop in-depth knowledge of the research goals of the Thoracic Oncology Program. You will be expected to become well‑versed in terminology, biology, and treatments for lung tumors by attending conferences, seminars, and independently studying the literature.
• Support project design and grant writing. You will assist and advise the principal investigator(s) in design and preparation of new research projects for funding. You will manage the logistics of the grant submission, which include writing and editing text, as well as coordinating meetings with team members to ensure on‑time submission of the grant application. You will also help identify appropriate funding opportunities throughout each stage of a project.
• Support grant and project management. You will support the principal investigator(s) and research team(s) via communication with the funding agencies, including writing of progress reports and facilitating team interactions and communications throughout the life of a project. You will also support all animal research applications (IACUC) and human subject research applications (IRB) from conception through application entry, regulatory review, study execution, and continuation/renewal.
• Coordinate clinical trial design, writing, and submission of clinical protocols. You will work with the principal investigator(s), laboratory researchers, clinical investigators, and biostatisticians to develop and design clinical trials. You will also prepare the clinical synopsis and study calendar, followed by the full clinical protocol, for investigator‑initiated clinical trials as well as coordinate submission of the protocol for review by the institutional regulatory committees, and coordinate team communications during conduct of the clinical trial.
• Work with investigators to assure the clarity and accuracy of data presentations. You will advise and assist with creation of clear, appealing data figures, model overview figures, graphical abstracts, and treatment schemas, as well as prepare slides for investigators’ oral presentations.
• Organize manuscript writing and journal submission. You will assist with interpretation and presentation of data for publication. You will also edit, and in some cases, write the manuscript text, and project manage all steps of manuscript submission, from original submission to reformatting/resubmission, and review of final proofs.

Your qualifications should include:

• Requires a PhD in biology, biochemistry, or other life science or a Master’s degree with 3+ years of scientific writing, clinical study design, or clinical trial regulatory experience in a healthcare/research/academic environment.
• Experience with NIH or DOD research grant writing (R01 level, not post‑doctoral fellowships), involvement with human observational or therapeutic studies, protocol design/writing for human sample, observational/retrospective or therapeutic studies.
• Familiarity with data analysis techniques, graphing methods, and interpretation of laboratory and clinical data.
• Demonstrated track record of research success via graduate school and postdoc publications.
• Proficiency in use of Microsoft Word, EndNote, Excel and PowerPoint. Prefer familiarity with Adobe Acrobat, Illustrator, and BioRender.

City of Hope employees pay is based on the following criteria: work experience, qualifications, and work location.

City of Hope is an equal opportunity employer.