Staff Opportunities

Reporting to the Director of the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative and the Department Administrator, the Administrative Manager will provide programmatic and administrative support to the Director, providing the Director with outstanding administrative support and promoting the Initiative’s mission by coordinating the development of research proposals and supporting development activities. The Administrative Manager will also coordinate a range of ongoing and special events, oversee the day-to- day administrative operation of the Director’s office and supervise a full-time finance and admin coordinator.

Duties:

Program & Administrative Management (75%)

1. Ensure smooth, well-organized, and efficient running of the Initiative.
2. Organize and implement monthly departmental programming including seminar series, work-in- progress talks, faculty member meetings, special events, and other larger functions.
3. Manage Director’s complex schedule. Respond to scheduling and meeting requests, make travel arrangements, develop itineraries and agendas, and assist with preparation for speaking engagements.
4. Lead meeting planning, including preparation of agendas and presentation materials. Arrange campus visits for collaborators, potential donors, outside speakers, and candidates.
5. Act as a liaison on behalf of the Director to other departments and senior administrators within the university and other institutions.
6. Manage office communications. Triage all incoming phone calls and emails. Prepare, respond to, and route correspondence.
7. Support faculty recruitment activities. Working closely with academic department counterparts, coordinate search, interviewing, and appointment processes.
8. Maintain and update website content.
9. Coordinate Initiative membership process and track membership.
10. Support fundraising activities, including corresponding and scheduling meetings with potential corporate sponsors.
11. Serve as department liaison to the Department Administrator and HR and manage the onboarding of new staff and faculty.
12. Participate in programmatic strategic planning and in all endeavors involving expansion, research, and fundraising.
13. Oversee day-to-day office operations, including ordering supplies, maintaining office equipment, management of shared spaces on the floor (conference room, etc.), maintaining key inventory, and requesting facilities, IT and telecommunications services.

Financial Management (20%)

1. Assist the director and the departmental administrator with specific finance requests.
2. Supervise the Finance Coordinator who will perform purchasing and accounts payable tasks, track financial transactions including p-card, internal transfers, purchase orders, travel and business expense reimbursement, invoices, check requests and other related duties as assigned.

Research Administration Support (5%)

1. Maintain biosketches and Other Support documentation for the director.
2. Assist with preparation of letter of recommendations and reports to private donors and industry sponsors. Proofread, edit, and format professional documents for presentation.
3. Liaise with Pre/Post award cores to prepare documents for submission to sponsors, including proposals,

Minimum Qualifications for Grade: Requires bachelor’s degree or equivalent in education and experience, plus four years of related experience.

Additional Position-Specific Qualifications:

Excellent organizational and analytical skills. Demonstrated proofreading and editing skills with documents such as grant proposals or reports. Outstanding oral communication and interpersonal skills. Must be able to work under minimal supervision and to set priorities and exercise sound judgment. Ability to multi-task and perform as part of a team. Requires knowledge of Microsoft Office suite, including Outlook.

Preferred Qualifications:

Research/grant administration experience. Experience supporting senior leadership and/or running an administrative office in an academic/research environment.

Click Here to Apply

The Anacker lab is looking for a full-time research assistant to work on the neurobiology of stress-induced psychiatric disorders.

The Anacker lab studies the neurobiological mechanisms that regulate individual differences in susceptibility and resilience to stress, with a focus on how stress that is experienced early in life impairs the development of neural circuits underlying cognitive function and emotion. We are especially interested in understanding how impaired connections from the hippocampus to cortical areas mediate stress effects on fear-based behavior and cognitive flexibility.

Our lab uses mouse models of stress during the early life period in combination with advanced neuroscience techniques, such as in vivo Ca2+ imaging with miniature microscopes in freely moving mice, fiber photometry, optogenetics, and computational analyses of complex neural activity data. We use these techniques to image neural activity and neurotransmitter signaling in deep brain structures, and to functionally inhibit or activate specific neural circuits. We also use several transgenic mouse models that differ in their vulnerability to stress because of differences in hippocampal neurogenesis or in the function of the serotonin system. In addition to this circuit level analysis, the lab uses next-generation RNA sequencing and whole genome epigenetic analyses to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which stress during early life exerts long-lasting effects on neural circuit function.

The research assistant will contribute to all aspects of the project, including in vivo Ca2+ imaging of neural activity in freely moving mice, biosensor imaging of neurotransmitter signaling in the rodent brain, rodent behavioral testing in cognitive tasks and anxiety-like behavior, stereotactic surgery, mouse colony maintenance, brain tissue processing, immunohistochemistry, and fluorescent microscopy.

Minimum qualifications: BSc degree in a neuroscience-related discipline, experience with rodent experimentation, excellent record keeping skills and interpersonal communication.

Preferred qualifications: Experience with stereotaxic surgery, brain tissue processing, mouse colony maintenance, rodent behavior experiments, immunohistochemistry, 1 year experience working in a laboratory environment.

To apply for this position, please contact Dr. Anacker (ca2635@cumc.columbia.edu)

Website: anackerlab.com

The Staff Associate, under general supervision of the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative (CSCI) Stem Cell Core director, carries out independently the daily activities of the core facility.

The Stem Cell Core team helps users take advantage of up-to-date resources in the stem cell field in a timely and cost-efficient way. We work on iPSC derivation, differentiation into various progenies and gene editing using CRISPR-Cas9. Please find more information on CSCI and the Stem Cell Core here:

Stem Cell Core | Columbia Stem Cell Initiative - CSCI

Responsibilities:

• Derives fibroblasts from skin biopsies and PBMC from blood samples.
• Derives, maintains and distributes induced pluripotent stem cell lines.
• Characterizes new lines by standard molecular biological techniques (including DNA/RNA extraction, PCR, qPCR), by immunophenotypic analysis (including immunostaining and flow cytometry) and by functional assays (in vitro differentiation).
• Performs quality control of cell lines, including microbiological screening.
• Performs differentiation of iPSC into various progenies.
• Performs gene editing services, including CRISPR-Cas9 mediated genome modification of iPSCs.
• Instructs others in tissue culture techniques for iPSC maintenance/differentiation and gene editing.
• Assist in the organization and teaching of training workshops for researchers interested in learning techniques relevant to iPSC derivation, culture, differentiation and gene editing.
• Performs laboratory maintenance and management, including maintaining and cleaning equipment, interfacing with vendors.
• Maintains accurate records.
• Some weekend flexibility will be required.

Qualifications:

Excellent expertise in gene-editing techniques in pluripotent stem cells. Previous experience with human pluripotent stem cells is required. Able to analyze and interpret data and communicate results effectively. Exceptional organizational and record keeping skills and excellent attention to detail are an essential component of this position. Ability to work proactively and in a collaborative, team-oriented environment. Computer experience is necessary.

Apply Here

Seeking an outstanding, organized and energetic staff member/technician B to contribute to studies investigating the cellular and molecular processes controlling the activity of blood-forming hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) during homeostasis, stress, disease and aging. This position is in the laboratory of Dr. Emmanuelle Passegué, Director of the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative and Professor in the Department of Genetics and Development at Columbia University Medical Center. Reporting to the PI and working under the day-to-day supervision of senior lab members, the candidate will be involved in a wide range of experiments both in a supervised and independent manner, and will contribute to the proper running of the laboratory. This is an opportunity to join a dynamic laboratory at the forefront of stem cell research.

Preferred qualifications:

• Will perform planned experiments under the direction of senior lab personnel, or conduct independently components of such experiments, which may include areas such as genotyping, flow cytometry, transplantation experiments, cell culture, cell biology, molecular biology, confocal imaging, and histological analyses.
• Must be detail-focused and organized. Must be able to take instructions and execute assignments working independently, seeking clarification and guidance where needed.
• Must demonstrate critical thinking skills and an aptitude for ongoing learning development, especially with regard to complex instrumentation and technology. For someone who demonstrates enthusiasm and aptitude for learning, this position offers the opportunity to strengthen laboratory and research skills, and build new ones.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to adapt and work as part of a team. Strong communication skills, including the ability to ask questions and provide updates on work progress clearly and with sufficient technical detail.
• Solid computer skills.

Education: Bachelor's degree in biology, molecular biology, or biochemistry or Bachelor's degree in another field with relevant coursework, laboratory experience, demonstrated understanding of the fundamental concepts of biological sciences or a combination of education, training and experience.

Apply Here

Applicants should also send cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references to:

Lalena Luna, csci-admin@cumc.columbia.edu

Executive Assistant to Dr. Emmanuelle Passegué