Mid-Career Scientist

TPIRC and FAI•Long Beach, CA

About The Position

The Translational Pulmonary and Immunology Research Center (TPIRC) is seeking a Mid-Career Scientist to provide strategic scientific leadership within its research environment. This role is designed for an emerging, independent PhD scientist who is approximately 5–7 years into an independent or near-independent research career. The successful candidate will leverage strong publication productivity, prior grant success, and translational scientific thinking to advance TPIRC’s mission across immunology, pulmonary disease, food allergy, asthma, eczema, eosinophilic disease, and related immune-mediated comorbidities, contributing to both discovery science and translational publication output. This is a scientific leadership role and is not a Director-level position. TPIRC offers an unusually strong translational research environment with substantial infrastructure already in place, including: In-house molecular core capabilities spanning DNA, RNA, and protein ELISA core Histology core Cell culture core HPLC core Vivarium access through existing relationships A human biobank containing thousands of patient samples, particularly in food allergy and related immune disease associated to the Tolerance Induction Program affiliated with the Food Allergy Institute Extensive patient-derived molecular and clinical datasets across food allergy, immunology, asthma, eczema, eosinophilic disease, and overlapping conditions Existing laboratory personnel, including two lab technicians An additional collaborating scientist conducting independent research This role is ideal for a scientist who wants to leverage these assets to generate high-impact translational publications, develop new discovery programs, and strengthen TPIRC’s scientific reputation and grant competitiveness. Mission and Scope of the Role: The Mid-Career Scientist will play a major role in advancing TPIRC’s mission by helping transform existing laboratory, molecular, and clinical assets into: High-quality peer-reviewed publications Translational scientific insights New discovery pathways in immunology and pulmonary disease Stronger visibility for TPIRC nationally and internationally Future grant and partnership opportunities Scientific advances that support technology development and/or medical innovation This position is particularly attractive for a scientist who has developed a strong foundation in immunology, allergy, pulmonary biology, mucosal biology, inflammation, or related translational disease research and now seeks an opportunity to broaden and accelerate impact in a highly resource-rich environment. This role offers the chance to join and help elevate a laboratory environment that already possesses many of the assets scientists typically spend years trying to build. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to: Publish rapidly from existing molecular and clinical assets Build new mechanistic programs with existing laboratory infrastructure Operate at the intersection of discovery science and translational medicine Help shape TPIRC’s next phase of scientific reputation and external funding success Contribute meaningfully to medical and technological advancement across immunology and pulmonary disease

Requirements

PhD in immunology, allergy, pulmonary biology, molecular biology, cell biology, biomedical sciences, or a closely related field.
Approximately 5–7 years of research experience beyond terminal training, or equivalent evidence of mid-career scientific development.
Clear peer-reviewed publication record, including multiple first-author publications.
Demonstrated ability to write and frame translational scientific manuscripts.
Evidence of success in obtaining at least two grants (may include NIH, foundation, society, nonprofit, pilot, translational, or industry-supported research funding).
Strong scientific grounding in immunology and/or pulmonary biology, with the ability to work across multiple disease areas.
Experience conducting and interpreting research involving one or more of the following: animal models, cellular systems, molecular biology, omics-based approaches, or translational human data.
Ability to supervise laboratory workflows and contribute to small-team operations.
Strong organizational, scientific writing, and communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Research experience in one or more of the following: food allergy, asthma, eczema, eosinophilic disease, mucosal immunology, epithelial barrier biology, inflammatory lung disease, or translational immunology.
Experience bridging human molecular data with mechanistic laboratory models.
Prior involvement in high-dimensional data interpretation, biomarker work, systems immunology, or translational discovery pipelines.
Demonstrated ability to turn existing datasets and biospecimen resources into publishable scientific outputs.
Experience mentoring junior scientists, technicians, or trainees.
Interest in helping scale a growing laboratory mission rather than joining a narrowly siloed academic environment.

Responsibilities

Lead and expand translational and discovery-oriented research programs aligned with TPIRC’s mission.
Develop and execute research across immunology and pulmonary disease areas, including food allergy, asthma, eczema, and immune dysregulation.
Generate and publish manuscripts utilizing existing TPIRC clinical, molecular, and biobank assets.
Build focused mechanistic programs using animal models, cellular models, molecular assays, and omics-enabled approaches.
Supervise and coordinate the work of laboratory personnel, including technicians and shared team resources.
Contribute to operational leadership within the laboratory environment, including prioritization, workflow management, study planning, and output tracking.
Write and support grant applications to public, private, foundation, nonprofit, and/or industry-aligned funding sources.
Collaborate effectively across scientific, translational, and clinical teams.
Help position TPIRC as a leading center for scientific discovery and translational advancement in pulmonary and immunologic disease.