The New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, the nation’s premier state public health research laboratory, is recruiting a Research Scientist 4 position for the Newborn Screening (NBS) program (https://www.wadsworth.org/programs/newborn/screening). The NBS program screens all infants born in New York State for more than 50 conditions. The goal of newborn screening is to identify conditions prior to symptom onset, which leads to better health outcomes. The NBS Molecular Laboratory primarily utilizes Sanger sequencing, next generation sequencing and quantitative PCR to screen infants for inherited metabolic, lysosomal, and other genetic conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis and Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. The NBS Molecular Laboratory plays an important role in rapidly identifying pathogenic gene variants and reducing false positive screens. The Research Scientist 4 will provide programmatic oversight of the administration and operation of the NBS Molecular Laboratory, including supervision and guidance of research, quality improvement, daily molecular testing and reporting.  The candidate will ensure adherence to regulatory requirements, verify accurate result reporting, research, and implement screening for new conditions (test development and validation) based on program priorities, explore new testing technologies, seek extramural funding, and write manuscripts. 

The Wadsworth Center (www.wadsworth.org) laboratories perform both clinical testing and basic research with a combined staff of about 700 that includes over 100 doctoral level scientists. The Center includes state-of-the art clinical testing laboratories for genetic and infectious diseases and environmental pollutants and runs a regulatory program overseeing lab testing. The basic research programs are focused on diseases caused by genetic, infectious, and environmental agents and their impact on human health.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences and five years of professional post-degree research experience in the appropriate field; or a Master’s Degree and four years of such experience; or a doctorate in the appropriate field and two years of such experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

Doctoral degree in Human Genetics/Genomics, Genetic Epidemiology or related field. American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG) Board certified, or, eligible in Laboratory Genetics and Genomics or holder of a NYS Certificate of Qualification in Genetic Testing is preferred. Experience in clinical genetic testing, newborn screening, gene variant classification, laboratory management, and grant management is also preferred.