Staff Scientist I – Blood Cancer Biology

Summary

The Reagan Lab explores a variety of research areas focused on how the bone marrow microenvironment and tumor cells interact, with the goal of curing or developing better therapies for cancer. This Staff Scientist position will elucidate genetic and epigenetic mechanisms whereby fatty acid binding proteins, or other related proteins, interact with signaling pathways to govern the development or progression of multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. The Staff Scientist will use cutting-edge, innovative approaches in vivo and in vitro, including mouse models and high-throughput ‘omics’ (lipidomic, proteomic, spatial transcriptomic, single cell sequencing, or other approaches). Expertise in human cell editing in vitro, human cell culture, and/or in vivo mouse work are highly desired. Successful accomplishment of this research is anticipated to deepen fundamental scientific knowledge of the fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) and increase understanding of mechanisms underlying blood cancers and/or cancer-induced bone disease. Some of the research areas that may also be explored are related to understanding connections between obesity and myeloma, or bone marrow adipocytes and myeloma cells.

In general, this Staff Scientist will assist in conducting a variety of research activities, will operate under general guidelines established by senior management and Center Director, and will follow safety, human subjects and animal use guidelines. The Staff Scientist manages grants or projects including supervision of staff, project reports, etc. with limited oversight from senior management. The ability to supervise and coordinate efforts of staff with limited oversight will be needed.

More specifically, this position is full-time and on-site in our Scarborough, Maine laboratory. The Staff Scientist will have a sufficient level of experience, expertise, maturity, confidence, resiliency, and independence to conduct their own research project, building off prior work in the lab and current grants. This includes working on project inception and design, implementation, completion, and reporting of results in peer reviewed forums, consisting of oral and written presentations. This Staff Scientist will communicate findings through publications and national/international presentations. They will present twice weekly at lab meetings and once per year in the MHIR Data Review Series. Ideally, this Staff Scientist will attend and present at annual meetings for ASH (American Society of Hematology), AACR (American Association of Cancer Research, or ASBMR (American Society of Bone and Mineral Research). The Staff Scientist will also be expected to mentor junior lab members (e.g. undergraduate or graduate students), once their own project is underway.

Strong candidates for this position will have a solid scientific background and a strong publication record, and will be eager to contribute productively to pioneering research in cancer biology. They will also demonstrate outstanding communication skills and first-rate interpersonal and organizational skills.

This position is supported by a National Cancer Institute R37 grant focused on FABPs and myeloma, and will provide enough freedom for the Staff Scientist to develop and explore some of their own hypotheses. This Staff Scientist will be guided and work in collaboration with Dr. Reagan, the lab Principal Investigator. This incumbent should be internally motivated, with a strong work ethic and passion for science and research. The Reagan Lab operates with a team-based mentality, as collaboration and respectful, helpful communication are crucial to the work and to success in the lab.

MHIR has state-of-the-art research core facilities and collaborations with core facilities across New England. The Reagan Lab welcomes the Staff Scientist’s involvement in leadership positions in professional societies, and with our internal, national and international collaborations. MHIR and the Reagan Lab value working in a diverse community- we encourage applications from individuals with varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds.

Candidates should 1) complete the MaineHealth application, 2) send current resume or CV, 3) include a cover letter/description of research interests and career goals, and 4) include the contact information for two or more Faculty-level references.

For more information before applying, contact Michaela Reagan, PhD, Principal Investigator – Reagan Lab, MaineHealth Institute for Research: Michaela.Reagan@mainehealth.org.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

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