Biological Scientist III - Endocrinology

University of Florida•Gainesville, FL

2d•$61,000 - $72,000

About The Position

The Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, is hiring a Biological Scientist III to support research directed by Dr. Kenneth Cusi. The research program focuses on obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD/MASH), and the mechanisms and treatment of diabetes-related liver disease. It includes ongoing clinical and translational projects with clinical and laboratory-based investigations. The successful candidate will provide scientific support across this portfolio and independently coordinate complex research activities. Duties span participant recruitment and retention, study implementation and visits, informed consent, transient elastography liver imaging, clinical and laboratory data management and analysis, database development and maintenance, protocol development, scientific reports and manuscripts, preliminary statistical analyses, figures, grant preparation, and coordination with multidisciplinary collaborators. The position requires independent scientific judgment and the ability to manage multiple activities. The candidate will interpret findings, identify and communicate implementation issues, refine research procedures, and provide scientific input to studies. They will participate in a weekly two-hour research didactic meeting, including study updates, Journal Club, and discussion of analyzed findings, and contribute to dissemination through abstracts, scientific meeting presentations, and peer-reviewed publications.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field and seven years of experience; or a master’s degree in biology or a related field and five years of experience; or a doctoral degree in biology or a related field and two years of experience.
Ability to exercise independent scientific judgment and organize and coordinate multiple research activities simultaneously.
Participation in the research team’s weekly two-hour didactic meeting.

Nice To Haves

Experience in clinical, translational, or biomedical research.
Experience coordinating clinical research studies involving human participants.
Experience with clinical research data management, database development, and data analysis.
Experience with obesity, diabetes, metabolic disease, liver disease, endocrinology, or related biomedical areas.
Experience performing liver imaging using transient elastography in accordance with established research protocols and certification requirements.

Responsibilities

Coordinate and implement research activities across multiple clinical studies and multidisciplinary collaborators, following approved protocols and established procedures.
Manage participant research visits and ensure completion of study procedures, assessments, laboratory testing, and follow-up.
Lead informed consent activities and explain research procedures to participants in accordance with approved protocols and institutional requirements.
Perform liver imaging using transient elastography in accordance with established protocols and certification requirements.
Identify and resolve issues affecting study implementation and participant follow-up, and communicate significant concerns to the Principal Investigator and research team.
Recruit, screen, enroll, retain, and follow up with participants as needed.
Record and maintain complete and accurate study documentation and research records.
Manage, organize, and maintain clinical and laboratory research data from multiple studies.
Develop, maintain, and improve research databases for data collection, organization, tracking, and analysis.
Conduct preliminary analyses and assist with interpretation of clinical, laboratory, imaging, and other research data.
Prepare figures, tables, summaries, and preliminary analyses for research meetings, presentations, manuscripts, and grant applications.
Identify trends, inconsistencies, and data quality issues, and work with the research team to resolve discrepancies and improve data integrity.
Provide scientific input on findings and contribute to development and refinement of research methodologies and procedures.
Maintain organized datasets and documentation to support reproducibility, reporting, publication, and future analyses.
Contribute significantly to the development, implementation, and refinement of research protocols and study procedures.
Collaborate on scientific manuscripts, abstracts, presentations, reports, and grant applications.
Acquire and analyze research findings and present study updates and results to the research team and multidisciplinary collaborators.
Participate in the weekly research didactic meeting, including presenting assigned study updates, taking part in Journal Club, and discussing findings.
Prepare and present analyzed results at scientific meetings, including abstracts and oral presentations, and contribute to peer-reviewed publications.
Coordinate research activities and communication among investigators, research staff, clinical collaborators, and other research partners.
Identify and improve research processes, data collection methods, study implementation, and scientific productivity.
Provide scientific and technical guidance to other research team members as appropriate to assigned projects.