Recruit

The Advanced BioImaging Center (ABC) in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley seeks applications for a Professional Researcher at the Associate, or Full rank. The selected candidate will be appointed at the rank to commensurate with prior experience. The position will report to Professor Gokul Upadhyayula, with Professor Eric Betzig serving as an additional academic mentor. The researcher will conduct independent research at a level comparable to the Professor series.

The Advanced BioImaging Center (ABC) at UC Berkeley aspires to be a world-leading multidisciplinary imaging center that drives important biological discoveries through critical new advances in all aspects of imaging technology and that drives the dissemination of that technology through a multi-pronged education strategy to scientists around the world. ABC was intentionally designed to maximize scientific productivity and impact by adopting groundbreaking imaging technologies such as the next-generation adaptive optical multifunctional microscope, incorporating the high-level technical expertise of instrumentation scientists, applied mathematicians, and computational scientists, and building worldwide collaborations aimed at tackling the challenges posed by terabyte and petabyte-scale imaging data processing, visualization, and dissemination. Members of the ABC have access to leading - edge imaging and computing hardware, as well as exposure to collaborators from a range of diverse disciplines, including in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Mathematics, and more.

This position will focus on advanced, independent research leading the ABC biology team in producing novel transgenic zebrafish embryo reagents necessary to serve as benchmarks to train AI models. The researcher will work closely with an interdisciplinary team of optical physicists, engineers, and computational imaging researchers to achieve the ambitious goal of creating a generative AI model for segmenting and querying complex 4D high-resolution data of zebrafish development. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to advancing biological imaging and AI-driven data analysis at the intersection of biology and computational science.

As this project grows, the individual will be expected to expand their leadership and adapt to the evolving scope of the research. The role will begin with leading efforts to supervise the generation of new transgenic zebrafish lines, coordinating data collection and management, and collaborating with leadership across the center. Over time, the researcher will build and manage a team of biologists to test AI-driven imaging models and will facilitate scientific collaborations with local, domestic, and international researchers. This position will take on a growing role and contribute to a groundbreaking initiative in biological imaging.

Key Responsibilities:
•Conducting and designing independent research and leading a team in generating zebrafish reagents to enable high-quality light sheet microscopy data collection.
•Collaborating with experts in optical physics, engineering, and computational imaging to support a generative AI model for high-resolution developmental biology data.
•Conducting and leading experimental design, data acquisition, and data analysis pipelines to ensure optimal data quality.
•Supervising the generation of new transgenic zebrafish lines and coordinating data collection and management.
•Scaling efforts by building and leading a team of biologists to test AI imaging models.
•Facilitating and maintaining scientific collaborations with local, domestic, and international researchers as the project expands.
•Publishing research findings in high-impact journals and presenting at scientific conferences.
•Supervising and mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and academic research titles involved in microscopy and biological data analysis.
•Overseeing lab operations, ensuring adherence to safety guidelines and maintaining high standards in record-keeping and equipment maintenance.
•Collaborating on the design and development of new microscopy techniques and imaging protocols to further ABC’s mission.

This position includes full benefits.

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The excellence of the institution requires an environment in which the diverse community of faculty, students, and staff are welcome and included. Successful candidates will demonstrate knowledge and skill related to ensuring equity and inclusion in the activities of their academic position (e.g., teaching, research, and service, as applicable).

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

Please refer to the University of California’s Affirmative Action Policy and the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy.

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.