Research Specialist B/C

Research Specialist B/CThe University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play. The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more. The position will support the advancement of new therapeutics toward the clinic and contribute to the scientific work published from the lab. Its focus will be testing new engineered T cells and evaluating their functional activity, as a single agent or in combination, to enhance therapeutic T cell performance, particularly within tumor microenvironments. Both positions requires solid immunological laboratory skills, including CAR T cell manufacturing, flow cytometry, ELISA, and other in vitro assays, as well as experience with in vivo mouse studies, contributing to efforts to enhance the therapeutic index of these therapies and understand their resulting impacts within the tumor microenvironment. The primary function of this Research Specialist B position is to conduct in vitro and in vivo mouse studies, and assist with day-to-day operation of the research bench, all within the BRITE (Shobaki) Lab under the direction of Nour Shobaki. The purpose of this position is to support mouse studies by generating and characterizing engineered immune therapeutics, growing and developing tumor cells, performing injections, monitoring animal health, weight, and therapeutic responses, and collecting datasets from the study (tumor growth, therapeutic engraftment, histology, ex vivo assays). This position also documents and organizes experimental data and contributes to the preparation of presentations and research publications, under the guidance of the Principal Investigator. The primary function of this Research Specialist C position is to independently design, troubleshoot, and carry out in vitro and in vivo mouse studies, maintain the animal colony, and manage day-to-day operation of the research bench, all within the BRITE (Shobaki) Lab under the direction of Nour Shobaki. The purpose of this position is to establish mouse studies by generating and characterizing engineered immune therapeutics, growing and developing tumor cells, performing injections, monitoring animal health, weight, and therapeutic responses, and collecting datasets from the study (tumor growth, therapeutic engraftment, histology, ex vivo assays). This position also generates and organizes the experimental data needed to support grant applications and IND-enabling studies, and contributes written sections to progress reports and manuscripts, with final authorship and submission led by the Principal Investigator.