Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Application
Details
Posted: 07-Dec-21
Location: USA - MA - Boston
Type: Full-time
Salary: Open
Internal Number: 56378BR
The Harvard Chan Microbiome in Public Health Center (HCMPH), co-directed by Drs. Curtis Huttenhower and Wendy Garrett at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (http://hcmph.sph.harvard.edu), is seeking a Microbiome Collection Core Manager to lead the Harvard Chan Microbiome Collection Core (HCMCC, http://hcmph.sph.harvard.edu/hcmcc). The HCMCC provides one of the pillars of the HCMPH's BIOM-Mass platform for population-scale microbiome research, by developing, maintaining, and administering kits and biospecimens for high-throughput microbiome sample collection. It currently supports over 25 funded projects at the Harvard Chan School, throughout the Boston life sciences community, nationally, and internationally.
The HCMCC has developed a modular, room-temperature, USPS-compatible home microbiome sampling kit that has been used for over 10,000 collections to date. It includes components for several different types of oral or gut microbiome samples; molecular, microbial culture, or gnotobiotic animal data generation; standardized questionnaires and metadata to accompany each sample; user-friendly, graphical instructions; and an automated sample handling workflow compatible with downstream storage at the Harvard Chan BiOS Freezer Core or analysis by HCMAC. Kits are assembled and shipped by an external logistics provider to the HCMCC's specifications, in collaboration with each project's unique needs, and handled as needed using robotic automation once received back from participants.
The Microbiome Collection Core Manager's primary responsibility is to coordinate the development and execution of these collaborative microbiome sample collection projects, in tandem with other BIOM-Mass and HCMPH components as needed (including the Microbiome Analysis Core [HCMAC], the Huttenhower and Garrett labs, and other Center affiliates).This will include project management for HCMCC-associated activities, from initial research consulting during the project preparation stage, to determining requirements and techniques for biospecimen collection, to creation and assessment of data analysis outputs. Specifically, the affiliated project duties for this position will comprise population-scale human microbiome epidemiology, associated client consulting and management (collaborating/emails/meetings/calls), coordinating HCMCC standardized sample collection kit logistics (coordination/creation/vendor interactions), laboratory information management system integration, grant preparation, coordination with the BIOM-Mass biobank, computational and biostatistic analysis of generated data, and results interpretation/discussion with collaborators. This position will also entail work with the HCMAC and Huttenhower lab personnel applying existing microbiome informatics and statistical tools, developed in the Huttenhower lab (e.g. MetaPhlAn2, HUMAnN2) as well as by other groups (UPARSE, QIIME, DADA2), to human microbiome sequence datasets, including microbial communities assayed in disease, animal models, cross-sectional and prospective human cohorts, and associated clinical phenotypes and/or environmental/lifestyle exposure metadata.
The Microbiome Collection Core Manager will also be responsible for occasionally handling samples, and will perform other duties as assigned.
PLEASE NOTE: This position has a term end date of one year from date of hire, with possibility for extension contingent upon continued funding.
PLEASE NOTE: Until our return to campus and full operational status, which is still to-be-determined, this interview process and position will take place in a slightly modified manner – including virtual interviews and a combination of remote and on-site (on campus in Boston) onboarding and work. On-campus/in-person work is expected, though, upon start date – in accordance with approved COVID-related guidelines and protocols.
Harvard University offers an outstanding benefits package including:
Time Off: 3-4 weeks paid vacation, paid holiday break, 12 paid sick days, 12+ paid holidays, and 3 paid personal days per year.
Medical/Dental/Vision: Excellent and affordable medical, dental & vision plans, with coverage beginning as of an employee's start date.
Retirement: University-funded retirement plan with full vesting after 3 years of service.
Tuition Assistance & Reimbursement Programs: $40 per class at the Harvard Extension School, discounted options through participating Harvard graduate schools, and reimbursement options for accredited schools outside of Harvard.
Transportation: 50% discount on MBTA passes, as well as additional options (rideshare, biking, etc.) to assist employees in their daily commute.
Wellness & Professional Development: Programs and classes at little or no cost, including stress management, hard & soft skills development, career planning, massages, nutrition, meditation, and complimentary health services. Additionally, access to Harvard athletic facilities, libraries, campus events -- and many discounts for various cultural and leisure activities throughout metro Boston.
Join the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to support our mission of health research and education, and to be a part of the oldest institution of higher learning in the country!
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The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health does not provide visa sponsorship, now or in the future, for staff positions.
Harvard University requires pre-employment reference checks and background screenings.
This position has a 90 day orientation and review period. The O&R period will be waived for any internal Harvard employee transfers.
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The University requires all Harvard community members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and remain up to date with COVID-19 vaccine boosters, as detailed in Harvard's Vaccine & Booster Requirements. Individuals may claim exemption from the vaccine requirement for medical or religious reasons. More information regarding the University's COVID vaccination requirement, exemptions, and verification of vaccination status may be found at the University's
Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required
3+ years of related experience required
The following job-specific skills and competencies are preferred:
Advanced degree in Biology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Biostatistics, or related field strongly preferred
High degree of professionalism, strong organizational skills, and experience building and maintaining working relationships strongly preferred
Experience with quantitative biological project management preferred
Working knowledge in R software and/or Python preferred
Basic familiarity with scientific software management, and in Linux/Unix software environments for scientific computing and computing clusters (e.g. Slurm manager), preferred
Familiarity with molecular biology, microbiology, and/or genomics preferred
Strong interpersonal skills; experience and willingness to collaborate with and coordinate among other research groups strongly preferred
Flexibility in adapting to changing research needs preferred
Strong, detailed-oriented writing and communication skills preferred
Experience working independently, as well as experience and/or desire to work in an interactive, collegial, and interdisciplinary group preferred
The following cultural competencies are also preferred:
Awareness of and aptitude to appropriately and effectively understand, respect, and adapt to cultural and identity-based difference within group environments
Knowledge of and commitment to concepts and issues tied to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion
Skills related to creating and supporting an environment that allows for inclusion, effective intercultural engagement, and personal humility and authenticity
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
About Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University seeks to strengthen teaching and research about pressing ethical issues; to foster sound norms of ethical reasoning and civic discussion; and to share the work of our community in the public interest.
Widespread ethical lapses of leaders in government, business and other professions prompt demands for more and better moral education. More fundamentally, the increasing complexity of public life - the scale and range of problems and the variety of knowledge required to deal with them - make ethical issues more difficult, even for men and women of good moral character. Not only are the ethical issues we face more complex, but the people we face them with are more diverse, increasing the frequency and intensity of our ethical disagreements.
Given these changes in the United States and in societies around the globe, the Center seeks to help meet the growing need for teachers, scholars, and leaders who address questions of moral choice across many of the professions and in public life more generally, and promotes a perspective on ethics informed by both theory and practice. We explore the connection between the problems t...hat professionals confront and the social and political structures in which they act. More generally, we address the ethical issues that all citizens face as they make the choices that profoundly affect the present and future of their societies in our increasingly interdependent world.
