Recruit

The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences is seeking a part-time Assistant Specialist. The purpose of this position is to provide research assistance in mathematical molecular biology to Dr. Mariel Vazquez. This recruitment is conducted at the assistant rank. The purpose of this position is to contribute to the areas of ongoing research in topological molecular biology in the Arsuaga-Vazquez lab, under the supervision of Professor Mariel Vazquez. The resulting hire will be at the assistant rank, regardless of the proposed appointee’s qualifications.

This Specialist position has a narrow focus in a specialized area and provides technical or specialized expertise with mathematical and computational biology research methods in the planning and execution of research projects investigating the structure of nucleic acids. This position requires excellent programming skills and previous experience working in projects in mathematical. molecular biology. The Specialist must be able to work effectively independently as well as a team member. The Specialist stays apprised of emerging issues and problems and maintains technical competence in the designated area(s) of specialization. Within this defined area and when appropriate, the Specialist is expected to provide leadership, facilitate teamwork and develop collaborative relationships with colleagues and to supply input into the planning of research and educational programs. Normally, Specialists do not have Principal Investigator (PI) status but may obtain permission by exception and/or collaborate with a PI in preparing research proposals for extramural funding. The Specialist is evaluated for merit and promotion using three basic criteria outlined below.

RESEARCH IN SPECIALIZED AREAS (85%)
Under the supervision of Dr Vázquez, the group leader, the candidate will conduct work that relies on existing mathematical models based on computational linguistics (specifically formal grammars), knot theory and Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods and their computer implementations used to model biological processes such as R-loop formation and DNA packing. The position will involve designing, implementing, extending and utilizing algorithms described in the literature as well as those currently internal to the research lab. In addition, they are expected to document and present their work to our research group. The candidate will also have the opportunity to present their work at regional meetings in poster form and will assist with manuscript and grant preparation. This entails a broad spectrum of writing in the various languages of Mathematics, program code (including scripting languages, compiled languages and shell languages) and formal scientific writing. It also includes the generation of scientific figures, data tables and interactive simulations for publications and presentations for other lab members and for the supervisor.

The candidate will be expected to familiarize themself with the extensive body of computational tools provided by the lab as well as those available to the mathematical and computational community. They are expected to understand the mathematical and statistical theory behind these tools, how they are implemented and to develop their own strategies and algorithms for use and extension. This will be done by independent study, interactions with the group leader and with Professor Javier Arsuaga and Associate Specialist Georgina González. They are expected to design and implement new tools and statistical analyses as they become necessary to explore the questions and scenarios posed by the PIs, other lab researchers and students.

The candidate will work mostly independently and is therefore expected to be diligent in the maintenance of their work and communicative about its development. They will do so via regular updates to their PI, version control for their code and software documentation. At key times, they will be expected to work very closely with members of the lab to collaborate on publishing efforts and ensure the quality and reproducibility of all results. This will involve precise time management on their part, as the productivity of collaborations are especially crucial to the success of this interdisciplinary group. They are expected to attend all group meetings and to present intermittently on their research and on articles of noteworthy and relevant content, where they will process the feedback of their peers and reciprocate in kind.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY (10%)
The candidate will also be expected to perform the tasks necessary to administrate and bolster this interdisciplinary research group. This involves maintaining public and private-facing forums of discussion such as the lab website and (internal) wikipedia page. They will also be expected to provide expertise on computational approaches to those in the group whose strengths lie in other areas. This will come in the form of hands-on assistance to their peers as well as workshops on various computational topics.

UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE (5%)
The candidate will conduct necessary outreach and educational sessions and assist with public facing activities organized by the lab such as conferences or Picnic Day activities.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, a research statement describing their past research experience, skills and interests, and a curriculum vitae. Documents/materials must be submitted as PDF files. Applicants should also provide contact information for two references. All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. For more information about the department, please visit the website: https://mmg.ucdavis.edu/

QUESTIONS: Please direct questions to Dr. Mariel Vazquez at mrlvazquez@ucdavis.edu

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).

We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action 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 categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

For the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010393/PPSM-20

For the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is committed to inclusive excellence by advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do. UC Davis celebrates the multi-cultural diversity of its community by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment demonstrated through a variety of resources and programs available to academics, staff, and students. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are core values of UC Davis that are embedded within our Principles of Community and are tied with how to best serve our student population. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can best be fully realized by members of our academic community who share our commitment to these values, which are included in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision, our strategic plan: “To Boldly Go,” our Principles of Community, the Office of Academic Affairs’ Mission Statement, and the UC Board of Regents Policy 4400: Policy on University of California Diversity Statement. UC Davis is making important progress towards our goal of achieving federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers a plethora of resources on their website, and the Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (HEDI) has outlined similar goals in their "Anti-Racism and DEI Action Plan.” There are a plethora of links available on the About Us webpage where you can learn more about our Administration, Diversity and Inclusion, Rankings, Locations, Native American Land Acknowledgement, Sustainability, Visiting UC Davis, UC Davis Health, and Campus Safety.

The university is consistently ranked among the top institutions in the world for campus sustainability practices by the UI Green Metric World University Rankings. UC Davis is focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and repeatedly shown its commitment to preserving a healthy and sustainable environment for generations to come.

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.