Junior/Assistant/Associate/Full Specialist (Neuroscience and Protein Engineering)

Application Window

Open date: April 7, 2026

Next review date: Wednesday, Apr 22, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Thursday, Oct 7, 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

Junior/Assistant/Associate/Full Specialist (Neuroscience and Protein Engineering)
Department of Neurology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, UCSF

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate to join our quick-paced and multi-talented team to develop therapeutic antibodies and molecules to treat autoimmune encephalitis and other inflammatory diseases of the brain. The successful candidate will be responsible for molecular biology, biochemistry, protein and antibody expression and purification, phage display, and protein and antibody validation. The candidate will have opportunities to make scientific and scholarly contributions to the research, learn state-of-the-art techniques, including automation systems, and will jointly work within the Neuroscience laboratory led by Dr. Brandon Holmes and the Antibiome Center led by Dr. Kevin Leung. Our laboratories are highly collaborative and engage in numerous academic and industrial projects.

The Holmes laboratory investigates inflammation as a critical regulator of brain disorders. We focus on how glial reactivity accelerates neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation. We collaborate with UCSF biorepositories to detect and isolate pathogenic autoantibodies within patient blood and cerebrospinal fluid.

The Antibiome Center is part of the Recombinant Antibody Network (RAN) and is committed to generating recombinant antibodies at a proteome-wide scale using high throughput phage display approaches. Our long history of protein engineering expertise enables the development of bio-therapeutic antibodies and molecules in the neuroscience and immuno-oncology fields.

Together, we aim to engineer therapeutic antibodies to target and neutralize pathogenic autoantibodies in neuroinflammatory diseases such as NMDA receptor encephalitis. An appointee in the Specialist series will be expected to engage in specialized research, professional activities, and do not have teaching responsibilities. The Specialist is expected to use their professional expertise to make scientific and scholarly contributions to a research program and participate in University and Public Service.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Cloning recombinant protein and antibody constructs using a variety of molecular biology techniques including DNA purification, transformation, polymerase chain reaction, and Gibson assembly.
• Expressing proteins from E.coli and mammalian sources (HEK293-F and CHO cells).
• Purifying proteins using chromatography techniques including Protein A, immobilized metal affinity chromatography, and ion exchange chromatography.
• Characterizing proteins by SDS-PAGE, ELISA, SEC, and Western Blot.
• Culturing immortalized and primary mammalian cells.
• Performing functional assays to assess therapeutic efficacy in cell culture.

Required qualifications:

• Junior Specialist- Baccalaureate degree in biochemistry, cell biology, or relevant life sciences field or at least four years of research experience.
• Assistant Specialist- Master’s degree in biochemistry, cell biology, or relevant life sciences field, OR Baccalaureate degree in biochemistry, cell biology, or relevant life sciences field with three or more years of research experience.
• Associate Specialist- Master’s degree in (or equivalent degree) in biochemistry, cell biology, or relevant life sciences field or five to ten years of research experience.
• Full Specialist- Terminal degree (or equivalent degree) in biochemistry, cell biology, or relevant life sciences field or ten or more years of research experience.
• Candidate’s CV must state qualifications (or if pending) upon submission.

Additional qualifications:

• Junior Specialist- at least one year of wet laboratory experience.

Preferred qualifications:

• Expertise in protein handling, expression, and purification.
• Proficiency with mammalian tissue culture techniques including transfections, cell line maintenance, and recombinant protein expression.
• Familiarity with immunology techniques such as immune cell isolation, culturing, expansion, and cytotoxicity assays.
• Proficiency with advanced biophysical techniques such as Biolayer Interferometry (BLI), Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), poly-reactivity assays, and HPLC chromatography.
• Data analysis experience using programing languages such as R or Python.

Applicants must apply online with a Cover letter, CV, Statement of Research, and contact information for two references. Candidates must meet the required qualifications at the time of appointment.

See Table 24B for the salary range for this position. A reasonable estimate for this position is $55,000-$194,800. Appointment and salary will be commensurate with the applicant's experience and training.

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

Reference requirements

• 2 required (contact information only)

About UC San Francisco

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 our 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