Scientist/Sr Scientist- Immunology

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital•Memphis, TN

3d•Onsite

About The Position

At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, we are seeking a highly collaborative Scientist or Sr. Scientist in spatial metabolomics and immunophenotyping to join the Department of Immunology. This role is crucial for overseeing the day-to-day operations, instrument maintenance, method development, and user training for a cutting-edge MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) platform. The position is uniquely situated at the intersection of immunology, metabolism, and spatial biology, with a primary focus on optimizing MALDI-MSI tissue workflows. This includes instrument purchase and management, method development, sample preparation, data acquisition, and data analysis. The scientist will also collaborate with other cores and shared resources to integrate spatial metabolomics datasets with high-dimensional data from platforms like spatial transcriptomics and proteomics (multi-omics). As a key technical consultant, the scientist will assist principal investigators and lab personnel in designing spatial immunology experiments and support grant and paper preparations.

Requirements

Extensive hands-on experience in operating and troubleshooting MSI instrumentation.
Familiarity with MSI data analysis.
Familiarity with computational methodologies.
Familiarity with integrative analysis of MSI and other high-dimensional datasets (e.g., spatial transcriptomics and multiplexed antibody imaging).
Strong understanding of immune or cancer metabolism, particularly in tissue-specific contexts.
Bachelor's degree in relevant scientific area is required.
For Scientist: Eight (8) years of relevant work experience is required.
For Scientist: Six (6) years of relevant work experience is required with a Master's degree.
For Scientist: Three (3) years of relevant work experience is required with a PhD.
For Sr. Scientist: Ten (10) years relevant work experience is required.
For Sr. Scientist: Eight (8) years of relevant work experience is required with a Master's degree.
For Sr. Scientist: Five (5) years of relevant work experience is required with a PhD.

Nice To Haves

Collaborative spirit.
Experience with MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) platform.
Experience with spatial transcriptomics and proteomics (multi-omics) platforms.
Experience with multiplexed antibody imaging.

Responsibilities

Develop, execute, and oversee specialized methods for mapping metabolites, lipids, proteins/peptides, and other small molecules in diverse immune and tumor microenvironments.
Oversee daily operations, calibration, optimization, and routine maintenance of core MALDI/DESI imaging mass spectrometers.
Analyze complex spatial metabolomics and related datasets, integrate them with multi‑omics datasets (e.g., spatial transcriptomics and multiplexed antibody imaging) as needed, and interpret tissue features and biological insights.
Coordinate multiple aspects of research projects and execute laboratory experiments utilizing appropriate laboratory techniques, tools, and methods.
Provide inputs regarding research protocols and experiments, set up protocols, and assist in developing new laboratory techniques as required.
Identify, process, organize, summarize, review, and report relevant experimental data.
Draft sections of research manuscripts and grants as directed.
Support monitoring and stocking of supplies, and calibration, maintenance, troubleshooting, and purchase of equipment within the area.
Instruct other staff in basic laboratory techniques and procedures.
Design, troubleshoot, and refine experimental approaches to answer critical research questions.
Process, organize, and analyze complex datasets, providing detailed reports on findings.
Provide technical support for ongoing projects, including maintaining datasets, lab documentation, and compliance with safety regulations.
Engage in collaborative research projects with internal and external teams to advance research and translation in immunology.