Research Lab Specialist Lead - Stockbridge Lab

A cover letter is required for consideration and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this role.

Professor Randy Stockbridge seeks a candidate for a Research Laboratory Specialist Lead position in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan. The role combines lab management (20%), research supervision and mentoring (30%), and research duties including cryo‑EM screening, data collection, and processing, as well as wet lab biochemistry (50%).

The Stockbridge Lab integrates structural biology with biochemical and biophysical techniques to understand how microbes withstand drugs and other sources of cellular stress. The successful candidate will work on multidisciplinary projects in a vibrant intellectual community with state‑of‑the‑art cryo‑EM and laboratory facilities in the new Biological Sciences Building at Michigan.

The position is supported by an NIH R35 award that provides long‑term funding stability. It offers opportunities to mentor trainees, support ongoing research projects, and develop independent project directions with the PI. The opening is available immediately.

The lab is part of the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology in Ann Arbor, MI.

Recent publications from the lab can be found here. The PI is committed to thoughtful, inclusive mentoring practices and the continued intellectual and professional growth of all laboratory personnel.

Supervise research personnel (30%)

• Supervise undergraduate students and technicians, including day‑to‑day assignments and long‑term project goals.
• Mentor graduate students, including training new lab members in data collection, analysis, and troubleshooting.
• Provide feedback to graduate students on fellowships, manuscripts, posters, talks, and drafts.

Conduct research independently (40%)

• Experience in cryo‑EM sample preparation, data collection, and processing.
• Develop and optimize protocols for protein purification, reconstitution, and cryo‑EM sample preparation.
• Optimize cryo‑EM data collection and processing approaches unique to each project.
• Design, conduct, and analyze experiments (electron microscopy, biochemistry, electrophysiology).
• Interpret results of cryo‑EM, biochemical, and electrophysiological experiments.
• Communicate results in figures, papers, and oral presentations.
• Coordinate equipment purchase and maintenance, and guide decisions about lab resources.
• Coordinate with University of Michigan IT support regarding computational and data storage resources, especially for cryo‑EM data collection and analysis.

Collaborative research projects (10%)

• Create big‑picture and specific project goals with other labs.
• Meet with collaborators to plan experiments, develop methodology, and share results.
• Communicate results in figures, papers, and oral presentations.

Minimum of a doctoral degree or a master's degree with doctoral‑equivalent experience in structural biology, biochemistry, or a related field, and 6+ years of laboratory experience with prior cryo‑EM work (sample preparation, data collection, and processing).

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually and may change at any time.

Funding is available for at least two years, contingent on satisfactory progress in year one.

The Department conducts basic research across bacteria, plants, and animals. The research portfolio includes more than 40 sponsored awards, totaling over $8 million.

As part of a leading liberal arts college, the School of Literature, Sciences, and Arts fosters rigorous and empathetic thinkers, creators, and contributors to Michigan and the nation.

All candidates are subject to background checks upon acceptance of a contingent offer, conducted by a third‑party administrator in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. The opening may be removed from posting boards and filled at any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.