Application Window

Open date: August 11, 2026

Next review date: Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Friday, Feb 11, 2028 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

Assistant Professional Researcher - Okada lab

The Okada lab in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UCSF seeks a highly motivated Assistant Professional Researcher to provide scientific leadership in the development and implementation of innovative research programs advancing therapies for malignant brain tumors. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with faculty, trainees, and national and international research partners to accelerate the translation of discoveries in brain tumor immunotherapy into improved patient care.

The primary objective of this position is to advance breakthrough therapeutic strategies for brain tumors through integrated studies of tumor immunology, genetics, epigenetics, and mechanisms of treatment resistance. The incumbent will provide scientific leadership within multidisciplinary, grant-funded research programs, identify actionable therapeutic vulnerabilities, and develop innovative therapeutic approaches. This position serves as a senior scientific collaborator, contributing to strategic planning, project management, experimental design, data interpretation, and research program development across multiple concurrent initiatives.

The Professional Researcher will work closely with faculty and staff across UCSF to foster interdisciplinary collaborations, while playing a leading role in large national and international research consortia. The incumbent will also mentor graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and research staff, providing scientific guidance, technical training, and oversight of laboratory and computational research activities.

Essential Responsibilities:
Specific job expectations include, but are not limited to:

1. Provide scientific leadership and project management for funded collaborative research programs focused on brain tumor immunology, metabolism, and immunotherapy.
2. Participate in weekly one-on-one meetings with the PI, weekly laboratory meetings, and project-specific meetings, except when laboratory responsibilities require otherwise.
3. Train and mentor new laboratory members in laboratory safety, cell culture techniques, specimen processing, spectral flow cytometry, bioinformatics, data management, data security, and other laboratory methodologies as needed. Provide ongoing feedback, evaluate trainee progress, and communicate progress to the PI.
4. Promote a culture of scientific rigor, laboratory safety, regulatory compliance, and research integrity, serving as a role model and resource for laboratory personnel.
5. Coordinate multiple collaborative projects simultaneously, ensuring timely completion of milestones, accurate documentation, and effective communication among collaborators.
6. Work flexible hours, including occasional evenings, weekends, or holidays, as needed to accommodate time-sensitive experiments or the processing of clinical specimens.

Required Qualifications:

• MD, PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree.
• Clinical experience or a strong understanding of the clinical management of patients with malignant brain tumors, including neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, and contemporary molecular neuropathology.
• Demonstrated expertise in cancer biology and cancer immunology, including immunotherapeutic approaches.
• Extensive knowledge of genetics and epigenetics, including experimental design, execution, data analysis, interpretation, and scientific reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, execute, troubleshoot, and analyze experiments using: 1) spectral flow cytometry; 2) real-time cell killing assays; 3) CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing; 4) PCR/qPCR; and 5) relevant preclinical experimental models.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, operate, troubleshoot, and analyze high-throughput sequencing studies, including 1) bulk RNA-seq; 2) single-cell RNA-seq (including GEX/VDJ); 3) single-cell ATAC-seq; 4) single-cell spatial transcriptomics; 5) long-read sequencing technologies.
• Proficiency in computational biology and scientific programming (R and/or Python) within Linux-based high-performance computing environments.
• Experience with version control and collaborative coding platforms (e.g., GitHub).

Preferred Qualifications:

• MD/PhD is preferred.
• Board certification (U.S. or international) preferred.
• Demonstrated success in securing competitive research funding through grants or research awards.
• Strong publication record demonstrating sustained research productivity in the relevant research field.
• At least 5 years of experience supervising, mentoring, and training scientists in an academic research laboratory.

Candidates must meet all required qualifications at the time of application, and application materials must clearly document how these qualifications are met.

See Table 13B for the salary range for this position. A reasonable estimate for this position is $96,700 - $126,400.

Click here to apply .

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 (Optional)
• Statement of Research (Optional)
• Statement of Teaching (Optional)

Reference requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)

Job location

San Francisco, CA