Research Scientist II

Iowa State University • Ames, IA

1d

About The Position

The Li Lab at Iowa State University's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Research Scientist II to join our team. Our research program aims to advance the molecular understanding of pathogenic Escherichia coli and other emerging or reemerging bacterial and viral pathogens, with the overarching goal of improving the control and prevention of infectious diseases in animals, as well as enhancing diagnostics, surveillance, and public health response strategies. The successful candidate will contribute to projects investigating host-pathogen interactions, bacterial virulence mechanisms, and the genetic and regulatory networks that drive pathogen adaptation and fitness, as well as participate in vaccine development. In addition, the position involves the use of whole genome sequencing (WGS) and other next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies to study microbial evolution, trace outbreaks, and identify novel pathogens.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of related experience

Nice To Haves

• Degree in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Genomics, Bioinformatics, or a closely related field.
• Experience working with pathogenic bacteria, including bacterial culture, genetic manipulation (e.g., gene deletion, cloning, and expression), and vaccine development.
• Hands-on experience with next‑generation sequencing (NGS) workflows, such as genomic, transcriptomic, or metagenomic library preparation and use of platforms like Illumina or Nanopore.
• Experience performing bioinformatics analysis of sequencing datasets, including genome assembly, annotation, phylogenetics, or use of computational tools (R, Python, Linux/Unix).
• Experience conducting infectious disease animal studies, including virulence assessment, vaccine evaluation, or virology/virus discovery work.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct molecular and genomic experiments to identify and characterize bacterial virulence factors and regulatory pathways.
• Design and conduct animal studies to evaluate the role of specific genes in virulence and to assess the safety and efficacy of vaccine candidates.
• Analyze WGS and NGS data to investigate pathogen genomics, transmission dynamics, and evolutionary adaptations.
• Participate in ongoing pathogen surveillance efforts by implementing and optimizing WGS-based pipelines.
• Collaborate on multidisciplinary research involving the detection and characterization of novel bacterial and viral pathogens.
• Prepare manuscripts, present research findings at scientific meetings, and contribute to grant writing and progress reporting.
• Mentor students and technical staff as appropriate.
• Develops, designs and conducts one or more moderately complex research projects or experiments in line with plan, reviews progress and evaluates results.
• Formulates research methods and suggests options for improving quality, identifies potential problems, recommends and implements solutions, and collaborates in the development of new techniques.
• Assists with publications and writing or developing grants.
• Trains users in equipment operation and laboratory techniques, explains and demonstrates technology and equipment capabilities, operations, limitations and outcomes.
• Coordinates data collection and screening and verifies the data.
• Conducts analysis of data, interprets and implements research methodology based on outcome of analysis.
• May act as a co-author.

Benefits

• Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental; as well as:
• Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans
• Generous vacation, holiday and sick time and leave plans
• Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa)
• Life insurance and long-term disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Various voluntary benefits and discounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellbeing program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees