Barile Lab - Assistant Specialist

RECRUITMENT PERIOD

Open date: January 21st, 2019

Next review date: February 4th, 2019
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: June 30th, 2019
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

DESCRIPTION

The position of Specialist is 100% time for employment starting on March 15, 2019 for one year.

The position of Specialist has a narrow focus in a specialized area and provides food processing expertise and manage access for users of the Milk Processing Laboratory at the Robert Mondavi Institute for wine and food science. The Specialist stays apprised of emerging issues and problems and maintains technical competence in the in the designated area(s) of specialization. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience in milk processing, with an emphasis on bioactive oligosaccharides isolation and characterization. Within these defined areas and when appropriate, the Specialist is expected to provide leadership, develop and offer workshops and training seminars, facilitate teamwork and develop collaborative relationships with colleagues and to supply input into the planning of research and educational programs. The appointee will assist Dr. Barile with writing papers, grant proposals and progress reports, providing oral presentations to students, facility users, and industry stakeholder, and maintaining the laboratory web site. The successful candidate will be familiar with quality assurance and quality control principles and coordination of multiple users on advanced processing and analytical instrumentation. The appointee will also interface with donors and visitors to provide tours and information about the Milk Processing Laboratory. Normally, Specialists do not have Principal Investigator (PI) status but may obtain permission by exception and/or collaborate with a PI in preparing research proposals for extramural funding. The Specialist is evaluated for merit and promotion using three basic criteria outlined below.

I. RESEARCH IN SPECIALIZED AREAS (80% EFFORT) 
A. Collaborate with other research and extension personnel affiliated with research activities involving isolation and characterization of bioactive molecules from bovine, human, and other mammalian milk and optimization of scale-up for in vitro applications. The appointee will be responsible for executing experimental plans developed in partnership with the PI and analyze and interpret data. Evaluation of performance in research activities or in outreach activities as deemed applicable to the individual project in specialized areas, as documented by any of the following: 
1) Publications that acknowledge the Specialist's significant and meaningful contribution to the work.
2) Publications on which the Specialist is an author.
3) Other evidence (e.g., letters from collaborators or principal investigators) that work done by the Specialist contributed to publishable research.
4) Active dissemination of information (beyond the boundaries of the campus) through informal instruction, presentations, or other means stemming from the Specialist's research accomplishments.
5) Other evidence of recognized expertise may include formal documentation of intellectual effort and participation in publishable research activities, first authorship on publications/patents, presentation of research at regional/national meetings, invitations to review grant proposals and/or journal articles, invitations to participate in research projects, and/or service on advisory panels.

B. Serve as a research coordinator for oligosaccharide isolation projects conducted by PIs in the department, as resources permit. Responsible for ensuring uninterrupted communication between individual laboratories, data management and preparation of reports tailored to meet the needs of the requesting individual(s). 


II. PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY (2% EFFORT) 
The appointee will participate in appropriate professional/technical societies or groups and other educational and research organizations. The appointee will attend seminars to gain new skills and will present research findings at seminars, laboratory meetings or educational functions.

III. UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE (18% EFFORT)

The appointee will perform milk processing services via the approved Recharge Rate and maintain liaison with external industry customers, state and federal agencies, and other external groups on issues related to area of expertise (e.g., pasteurization and homogenization tests). The appointee will provide mentorship to undergraduate students, training them in milk processing techniques and research skills. The appointee may participate in activities of committees within the department, college, campus and other University entities, as appropriate.

Basic Qualifications: 
• MS or equivalent in Dairy Technology, Dairy Science or related fields. 
• Pilot plant or industry experience working with membrane filtration for processing dairy products is also required. Knowledge of operational parameters and optimization strategies for microfiltration, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration is needed.

Additional qualifications

  • Demonstrated experience with operation and maintenance of pilot plant equipment, including: pasteurizer, freeze-dryer, UHT/HTST and aseptic packaging units, cream separator and homogenizer.

Preferred qualifications

  • Ability to operate fermentation equipment and to monitor the fermentation of lactose or other milk compounds
  • Demonstrated experience with the use of High-Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection for the quantification of lactose and oligosaccharides
  • Demonstrated experience with sample preparation and analysis of liquid and solid food matrices
  • Knowledge of desalination and application of the principles of ion-exchange is also a requirement.
  • Knowledge of carbohydrates chemistry found in foods (polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides).
  • Experience managing use and access of processing equipment, providing user training, and designing and implementing standard operating procedures for a multi-user laboratory
  • Strong problem-solving skills and ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects
  • Experience with maintaining and updating the lab chemical and sharing products among various users and labs.
  • Good oral and written communication skills and ability to extend information to a variety of audiences including students, staff, faculty and industry stakeholders

JOB LOCATION

Davis, CA

REQUIREMENTS

Document requirements

  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Cover Letter (Optional)

  • Statement of Research (Optional)

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Diversity contributions documented in the application file will be used to evaluate applicants. Visit http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/diversity/equity_inclusion/index.html for guidelines about writing a diversity statement and why one is requested.

Reference requirements

  • 3-5 letters of reference required

 

Link to apply: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF02628

Category