University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Research Specialist A/B (Department of Cancer Biology)

Job Profile Title

Research Specialist A

Job Description Summary

The Goodman Lab for Synthetic Immunology (https://goodman-lab.org/) is a new research group at The University of Pennsylvania. We are seeking highly motivated and enthusiastic candidates especially interested in synthetic biology, cell therapy, and immunoengineering to join our founding team. Our lab’s focus is on high-throughput genetic manipulation and measurement of primary immune cell populations, with the ultimate goal of improving cellular immunotherapies for cancer and other diseases. Under the direction of Dr. Daniel Goodman, the specialist will apply cutting-edge approaches to achieve these goals.

The selected candidate will help to set up lab protocols, processes, and equipment, and then will perform a variety of experimental techniques such as molecular cloning, cell culture (cell lines and primary cells), flow cytometry, and preparation of DNA libraries for high throughput sequencing. Successful candidates will have a strong background in immunology and molecular biology, be highly motivated, and have excellent organizational skills. They will receive detailed technical training from Dr. Goodman and will execute cellular assays to collect, analyze, and compile data in support of our research. This position provides an excellent opportunity for individuals considering graduate or medical school and offers extensive hands-on experience in biomedical research at the forefront of in-demand fields like cell therapy and immunoengineering.

Mentorship & Career Development Note:
The Goodman Lab is committed to fostering career development in a supportive research environment. Dr. Goodman’s prior trainees have gone on to succeed in PhD and MD programs, join and found biotechnology startups, and pursue academic careers. Our lab culture is built on shared scientific curiosity, a mission to advance medicine through immunology, and building an environment where team members support one another while pursuing scientific excellence in a dynamic and welcoming research community

Position is contingent upon continued grant funding.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Drive a research project by performing various investigative procedures (ex: collect, analyze and interpret data, and present data at group meetings)
• Collect, record, organize, and verify the accuracy of data; perform calculations and prepare charts, graphs, and reports.
• Help in the general running of the lab, including receiving items, generating protocols, and maintaining lab organization.
• Become familiar with the scientific literature and participate in group meetings
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications: Research Specialist A

• Bachelor of Science and 0 to 1 year of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Willingness and ability to work independently, learn new methods, and be engaged as part of a research team.
• Excellent skills in communication, organization, and time management.
• See preferred skills below

Qualifications: Research Specialist B

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline and 1-3 years of relevant research experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Willingness and ability to work independently, learn new methods, and be engaged as part of a research team.
• Excellent skills in communication, organization, and time management
• The Research Specialist B will also demonstrate a higher level of independent work:
  • Independently design, troubleshoot, and optimize experiments related to T cell engineering and synthetic immunology.
  • Analyze and interpret experimental data with minimal supervision.
  • Contribute to manuscript preparation, presentations, and grant submissions
• See preferred skills below

Preferred Skills: The following skills (e.g. through undergraduate research experiences or coursework) are preferred for candidates, in order of importance:

• Prior research experience in a related field (e.g., synthetic biology, systems biology, immunology, bioengineering, chemical biology, molecular biology, cell biology).
• Experience with the culture of mammalian cells (e.g., tumor cell lines, PBMCs, primary T cells).
• Experience in the design and assembly of DNA constructs (modern molecular cloning techniques such Golden Gate or Gibson Assembly).
• Experience preparing RNA and DNA high-throughput sequencing libraries (e.g. Illumina, 10X Genomics).
• Experience with the culture of mammalian cells (e.g., tumor cell lines, PBMCs, primary T cells).
• Experience in flow cytometry or cell sorting.
• Experience handling mice and performing experiments using in vivo mouse models of disease, especially cancer models.
• Experience with bioinformatics pipelines and visualization tools (e.g. Python and R).

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Perelman School of Medicine

Pay Range

$45,278.00 - $57,335.40 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Equal Opportunity Statement 

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.

Special Requirements 
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

• Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay