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Director of Small Animal Imaging

City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA

Pay: 200.000

Job type: Full Time


Overview

Join the forefront of groundbreaking research at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, where we're changing lives and making a real difference in the fight against cancer, diabetes, and other life‑threatening illnesses. Our dedicated and compassionate faculty and staff are driven by a common mission: contribute to innovative approaches in predicting, preventing, and curing diseases, shaping the future of medicine through cutting‑edge research.

Responsibilities

  • Scientific Strategy & Cancer Center Integration
  • Shape the scientific vision of the Shared Resource to support the priorities of the Cancer Center’s strategic plan, research programs, and other components.
  • Collaborate with program leaders (e.g., Hematological Malignancies, Molecular and Cellular Biology of Cancer and Translational Sciences in Solid Tumors) to align imaging services with programmatic needs.
  • Drive innovation in cancer‑relevant imaging, including metabolic imaging, immuno‑PET, tumor microenvironment characterization, therapeutic response biomarkers, and longitudinal tumor monitoring.
  • Contribute to institutional initiatives in translational imaging, drug development, radiation response, immunotherapy, and multiparametric quantitative imaging.
  • Maintain a forward‑looking technology roadmap to ensure timely adoption of next‑generation imaging capabilities that strengthen CCSG competitiveness.
  • Shared Resource Governance & CCSG Compliance
  • Prepare annual and renewal‑cycle CCSG reporting, including scientific highlights; usage analytics; user demographics; cancer relevance; publication metrics; and rigor, reproducibility, and quality‑control documentation.
  • Participate in CCSG Shared Resource leadership meetings, internal advisory committees, and external advisory board (EAB) reviews.
  • Integrate SAI‑SR capabilities into institutional initiatives such as pilot awards, team science programs, SPOREs, and multi‑center consortia (U01/U54, P01).
  • Ensure equitable access, transparent prioritization, and adherence to NCI guidelines for Shared Resource management.
  • Operational Leadership
  • Direct daily operations across all imaging modalities, which may include PET/CT, SPECT/CT, MRI, optical/bioluminescence, ultrasound, photoacoustic, and intravital imaging.
  • Develop and maintain SOPs, QA/QC processes, and rigor/reproducibility frameworks consistent with CCSG expectations.
  • Implement harmonized imaging protocols to support longitudinal tumor studies and collaborative multi‑site research.
  • Oversee data management systems for secure archiving, traceability, metadata capture, and reproducible quantitative analyses.
  • Manage scheduling, staffing, equipment uptime, training, and customer‑focused service delivery.
  • Scientific Consultation & Investigator Support
  • Provide expert guidance on cancer imaging study design, including tumor model selection, imaging biomarker strategies, radiotracer/contrast agent selection, quantitative endpoints, and serial imaging strategies for therapeutic response.
  • Support investigators in developing imaging components for grants, SPORE applications, and multi‑PI team science proposals.
  • Deliver workshops, seminars, and outreach activities to enhance imaging literacy, rigor, and best practices across the Cancer Center.
  • Mentor trainees and junior faculty engaged in preclinical cancer imaging.
  • Regulatory Oversight & Animal Welfare
  • Ensure compliance with IACUC, AAALAC, OLAW, and institutional animal‑care policies.
  • Oversee radiation safety practices in coordination with Radiation Safety and EH&S, including radiotracer handling, hot‑lab management, and dosimetry.
  • Establish standards for anesthesia, monitoring, humane endpoints, and biosafety for xenografts, PDXs, GEMMs, and syngeneic tumor models.
  • Personnel, Training & Team Management
  • Recruit, supervise, and mentor imaging technologists, research scientists, and technical staff.
  • Oversee training in advanced cancer imaging modalities, radiotracer handling, QA/QC, and analytical methods.
  • Foster a collaborative, service‑oriented culture aligned with Cancer Center expectations for excellence in Shared Resource operations.
  • Financial Stewardship & Sustainability
  • Develop and manage Shared Resource budgets in accordance with institutional and NCI guidelines.
  • Establish cost‑recovery recharge rates that meet institutional and CCSG requirements, ensure sustainability, and support broad access.
  • Partner with Cancer Center administration to pursue instrumentation grants (e.g., S10), CCSG supplements, and philanthropic funding.
  • Lead business planning for major equipment acquisitions and long‑term capital needs.

Qualifications

  • PhD, DVM, MD, or equivalent in biomedical imaging, cancer biology, radiology, biomedical engineering, or related discipline.
  • 5–10+ years of experience in small‑animal imaging within a cancer‑relevant research environment.
  • Expertise in at least two major imaging modalities (e.g., MRI, PET/CT, SPECT/CT, optical, ultrasound).
  • Experience in an academic research setting, ideally within a CCSG‑funded Cancer Center.
  • Strong knowledge of cancer biology, tumor progression models, therapeutic mechanism‑of‑action studies, and immuno‑oncology models.
  • Demonstrated leadership, supervisory skills, and operational management experience.
  • Familiarity with animal‑care regulations and radiological safety requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Prior leadership experience within a Shared Resource or Core Facility.
  • Experience supporting CCSG renewal efforts, SPORE programs, or multi‑center imaging consortia.
  • Background in radiochemistry, tracer development, pharmacokinetics, or quantitative image analysis.
  • Publication record in cancer imaging or imaging‑guided cancer biology.
  • Experience with QIN/QIBA principles and quantitative imaging standardization.

Benefits

To learn more about our Comprehensive Benefits, please CLICK HERE.

Equal Opportunity

City of Hope is an equal opportunity employer.

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