Assistant Project Scientist Position in Cardiology - Deb Lab 2026-2027

The Deb Laboratory in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is seeking an Assistant Project Scientist to lead research on the role of the methionine salvage pathway (MSP) and its metabolite in cardiovascular disease. This is an independent, research-intensive position within a well-funded, highly collaborative program supported by NIH grants. The successful candidate will investigate how MSP-dependent molecular and metabolic mechanisms regulate cardiac function, remodeling and organ repair, and will help translate these findings into therapeutic strategies. A Ph.D. or equivalent is required.
Key Responsibilities:
Design, lead and execute research projects on the molecular mechanisms by which the methionine salvage pathway regulates cardiac metabolism and the cardiac epigenome in cardiovascular disease.
Utilize and further develop genetically engineered mouse models of cardiovascular disease, including cell-type-specific conditional knockout models.
Perform and interpret in vivo/in vitro isotope metabolic tracing, targeted and untargeted metabolomics, and energetics studies.
Generate and analyze single-cell multi-omics sequencing, methylation sequencing and metabolomics datasets, integrating them with human heart failure cohort data.
Establish and apply human iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte and organoid systems for mechanistic and target-validation studies.
Prepare manuscripts, figures and conference presentations; contribute to grant applications and progress reports.
Train and mentor graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and technicians.
Contribute to collaborative projects on tissue repair and translational therapeutics.
Preferred Qualifications:
Direct research experience with the cardiac metabolism research.
Experience with mouse models and echocardiographic/hemodynamic
phenotyping.
Proficiency in standard molecular and biochemical techniques.
Expertise in single-cell/single-nucleus multiome analysis and epigenomic
profiling.
Experience with stem cell, iPSC or organoid culture systems.
Publications in high-impact journals in cardiovascular research, metabolism
or cell biology.
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Basic qualifications
A Ph.D. or equivalent is required.

Preferred qualifications
The following qualifications are preferred:
Direct research experience with the cardiac metabolism research.
Experience with mouse models and echocardiographic/hemodynamic phenotyping.
Proficiency in standard molecular and biochemical techniques.
Expertise in single-cell/single-nucleus multiome analysis and epigenomic profiling.
Experience with stem cell, iPSC or organoid culture systems.
Publications in high-impact journals in cardiovascular research, metabolism or cell biology.

Document requirements
Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
UCLA Mission Statement - As the nation's premier public research university, UC's mission is the creation, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society. We have a particular responsibility to the people of California which we express in the excellence of the education we provide, the impact of the research we do, the comprehensive, life-saving medical services we provide, and the public service mission we are devoted to. The University of California promotes the social mobility of its students, equips them with the tools and experience that furthers their ambitions, and regards their accomplishments across the life span as evidence of the profoundly positive impact of higher education.
The UCLA campus has expressed these goals in its strategic plan as follows:
Deepen our engagement with Los Angeles
Expand our reach as a global university
Enhance our research and creative activities
Elevate how we teach
Become a more effective institution
Prompt for candidates for recruitment:
Reflecting on your personal and professional experiences, highlight your past contributions and future commitments to advancing UCLA's mission as embodied in the 2023-28 strategic plan. These accomplishments and ambitions may be discussed in the context of describing your teaching, scholarship, and service.
Reference requirements
2 required (contact information only)
Please provide contact information of 2 references.
Apply link:
https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF11378

Help contact:
ochadorchi@mednet.ucla.edu