Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Vaccine Research Center

Senior Scientist – Chief, Vaccine Immunology Program

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the largest institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), conducts and supports a global program of research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.

The Vaccine Immunology Program (VIP) in the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) within NIAID is soliciting applications for a senior scientist to serve as chief of VIP. The mission of VRC is to conduct research that facilitates the development of effective vaccines and biologics for diseases of public health importance, such as HIV, influenza, malaria, tuberculosis, Ebola, Marburg, Nipah, coronavirus, and other emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. VIP research is crucial to VRC’s successful advancement of biomedical products, supporting the development cycle by providing dependable and reliable immunological data for informed decision making in the discovery and development of novel vaccines and monoclonal antibodies at VRC and among collaborators.

VIP primarily conducts translational assay development and rigorous assessment of clinical trial endpoints in several infectious disease areas, including HIV, malaria, influenza, and coronaviruses. VIP is organized to provide the following services for VRC investigators and collaborators: sample management and processing, automated testing platforms, quality management and good clinical laboratory practice (GCLP) accreditation, antibody analytics, T- and B-cell clinical trial analyses, sequencing and genomics, and viral serology and neutralization.

The successful candidate will serve as chief of VIP, managing this large translational and clinical evaluation program, with responsibility for personnel and budgetary resources. The chief of VIP is a senior member of the VRC scientific team and is directly responsible for providing leadership oversight of the program. The chief of VIP directs and manages all operations and research supporting the development, implementation, optimization, and eventual deployment of immunoassays and analyses of samples from clinical vaccine trial volunteers for VRC.

They will liaise with senior scientists within VRC, other NIAID divisions, and other institutes and external collaborators to design standardized analyses for the evaluation of patient samples from first-in-human clinical trials, assessing the generation of immune responses and identifying immune correlates of protection for novel vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. In addition, the chief of VIP directs, leads, and controls all activities and output of VIP, including management and oversight of operational funds and personnel and services contracts. The successful candidate will manage a complex infrastructure supporting overarching VRC biomedical product development priorities, with responsibility for supervising assay development projects and implementing strategic planning and assessment of prospective assay requirements for vaccine discovery and design programs at VRC. The chief of VIP also manages and supervises other senior scientists who engage in the full range of vaccine discovery, early development, and testing of clinical products.

The successful candidate will have access to state-of-the-art research support at the NIH. They will be assigned independent resources, including support personnel, equipment, space, and an allocated annual budget for services, supplies, and salaries sufficient to foster success.

Qualifications

Required

•    US Citizenship

•    Successful completion of a bachelor's degree or graduate/higher level degree with major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position.

Preferred

•    M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree with extensive experience in immune assay development and assessment of immune responses from preclinical models and clinical vaccine studies.

•    Experienced in performing good clinical laboratory practices (GCLP) and regulatory compliance.

•    Experience elucidating and characterizing T- and B-cell responses.)

This position is subject to a background investigation.

To Apply

Visit the Supervisory Health Scientist vacancy announcement numbers NIH-NIAID-DE-25-12564376 (U.S. citizens) and/or NIH-NIAID-MP-25-12564389 (status candidates) to submit your application. The application period is open from December 4, 2024, until 11:59 pm on December 13, 2024.  

Interested candidates should include the following in their application:

•    Curriculum vitae or resume

•    A description of mentoring and outreach activities in which they have been involved, especially those involving women and people from other groups underrepresented in biomedical research

Applications from women, persons from underrepresented groups, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged.

Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience.  A full civil service package of benefits (including retirement; health, life, and long-term care insurance; Thrift Savings Plan; etc.) is available. For salary information, the required qualifications for this position, and how to apply, refer to the vacancy announcement, which includes position title, series, and grade levels. This position is subject to a background investigation.

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HHS, NIH, and NIAID are equal opportunity employers dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community through its training and employment programs.