Primary City/State:
Sun City, Arizona

Department Name:
Biomarker Discovery-Rsrch

Work Shift:
Day

Job Category:
Research

The Staff Scientist will lead the development, optimization, validation, and implementation of biomarker assays for Parkinson's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.

Assay Development & Technical Leadership

The Staff Scientist will provide scientific and technical leadership for biomarker assay development, with a focus on antibody-based methods for measuring protein biomarkers in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and other biological matrices. Key responsibilities include:

• Selecting, characterizing, and evaluating antibodies and other affinity reagents
• Designing and executing assay-development strategies
• Optimizing experimental conditions and troubleshooting complex technical issues
• Establishing approaches to assess assay sensitivity, specificity, precision, reproducibility, and robustness
• Developing standardized laboratory protocols and quality-control procedures

Biomarker Analysis & Translational Research

The Staff Scientist will lead the analytical evaluation of candidate biomarkers relevant to Parkinson's disease pathology, diagnosis, disease progression, and therapeutic response. This includes:

• Designing experiments and interpreting biomarker data
• Evaluating assay performance against defined criteria
• Integrating laboratory findings with broader translational and clinical research objectives
• Advancing promising assays from early-stage development toward use in observational studies, clinical trials, and therapeutic development

Team Leadership & Collaboration

The Staff Scientist will provide day-to-day scientific guidance to laboratory personnel, oversee experimental activities and assay-development projects, and mentor junior scientists and research staff. The individual will collaborate closely with investigators, clinicians, and external partners to:

• Establish project priorities and interpret findings
• Align biomarker development efforts with clinical and research goals

Scientific Contribution & Program Development

The Staff Scientist will contribute to the overall scientific direction of the biomarker program, including:

• Identifying emerging biomarker technologies and developing new research approaches
• Preparing scientific reports and manuscripts for publication
• Presenting findings at internal and external scientific meetings

Schedule: M-F 8-5PM

Location: Banner Sun Health Research Institute, 10515 West Santa Fe Drive, Sun City, AZ 85351

POSITION SUMMARY
This position conducts innovative high-quality research and development, as well as scientific support of existing laboratory operations. This may include the planning and implementation of experiments; interpretation of data; quality assessment, preparation of timely reports on operations, and research results in the form of internal communications as well as peer-reviewed papers and scientific presentations.

CORE FUNCTIONS
1. Assists in planning, designing, and conducting innovative research and development in area of expertise, including collecting, analyzing and interpreting data and developing new research techniques and core activities.

2. Publishes results of activities that support the laboratory mission, and/or presents related research findings at national and international scientific meetings.

3. Directs and supervises the conduct of developmental, validation and quality-assessment activities.

4. Forms collaborative relationships both inside and outside of the Institute, in order to increase research capabilities and resource development and improvement. Looks for and pursues opportunities to collaborate scientifically with other Banner scientists, physicians and staff members.

5. Assists in the training of research staff, students and volunteers.

6. This position has accountability for designated research projects and core activities, working collaboratively with other researchers across the system. Customers are both internal and external, including but not limited to, facility personnel and leadership, department heads, and other allied health personnel. External communications include presentations to research and health care professionals, as well as lay people of varying educational and professional backgrounds. The position requires strong initiative, excellent networking capabilities and creative problem-solving skills.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Ph.D. or M.D. and appropriate post-doctoral training.

Must have knowledge of research methods, data collection, analyses and evaluation. Must have good writing and communication skills. Must have excellent organizational and supervisory skills. Must be able to maintain good rapport with departmental personnel.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Additional related education and/or experience preferred.

DATE APPROVED 05/02/2021