Senior Microbiologist (Wastewater Genomic Surveillance)

SUMMARY

The Drinking Water and Radiation Laboratory Branch (DWRLB) seeks a Senior Microbiologist (Wastewater Genomic Surveillance) candidate to support the CDPH Microbiology Unit’s wastewater surveillance laboratory and program.

The CDPH Microbiology Unit wastewater surveillance laboratory is a part of CDPH’s wastewater surveillance program, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) Center of Excellence.

The Senior Microbiologist will focus on the environmental detection of the SARS CoV-2 virus and other infectious disease pathogens of public health importance (e.g., influenza, respiratory syncytial, and monkeypox viruses) using PCR-based molecular platforms.

The successful candidate will perform important laboratory testing to detect and identify the infectious disease viruses and other pathogens in wastewater as a surveillance tool for routine surveillance and to support outbreak investigations and public health preparedness and response.

The Senior Microbiologist will work closely with the CDPH wastewater surveillance epidemiology team as well as with external collaborators including the CDC, local health departments, and academic researchers.

This position will also support other jurisdictions engaged in wastewater surveillance by providing training and sharing of knowledge, including through documents, presentations, and workshops.

The salary range for this position is $77,112 - $114,840 annually depending on experience/qualifications. 

 ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS


* Assist with the development, validation, and optimization of molecular detection methods.


* Apply NGS protocols for genomic characterization of viral pathogen targets (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A and B, RSV, Mpox among others).


* Perform molecular scientific studies on viral pathogens using dPCR or ddPCR methods in collaboration with other research scientists.


* Experience in working with microorganisms, exercise standard precautions, and be very experienced with PCR-based methods.


* Work as part of a larger laboratory team and with external partners (e.g., CDC, academic researchers) to develop and implement new workflows, molecular assays, and analyses for genomic characterization of viral pathogens.


* Adhere and contribute to quality assurance and quality control protocols and standards.


* Assist with scientific writing tasks such as developing SOPs, quality manual, scientific reports, validation summaries, posters, and manuscripts.


* Maintain organized and detailed laboratory records of experiments, samples, and reagents.


* Stay updated with the latest scientific advancements in wastewater analysis and molecular testing.


* Contribute to laboratory advancement and knowledge sharing by assisting with scientific presentations, abstracts, and manuscripts preparation.


* Assist in organizing training workshops, developing training materials, training other laborato...