The Santa Maria Lab is relocating to the University of Pittsburgh, from Stanford University, and is recruiting at all levels (Lab Manager, Lab Technician, Research Scientist). Members will join an R01 funded lab that focuses on discovery science and translational medicine in areas to treat hearing loss. The lab is federally funded to discover why sensory hearing loss occurs in chronic ear infections. They focus work in vitro and in vivo in 1) bacterial models of disease focusing on persister cell (non-dividing) diseases including microbiology, immunology, and therapeutics (focused on nanotherapeutics, small molecules, and peptides); they are leaders in the disease chronic suppurative otitis media, the leading cause of hearing loss in the developing world. 2) Drug delivery to the inner ear, including round window and blood labyrinthine barrier delivery. 3) Tumor targeting and tumor microenvironment. with a focus of Neurotological tumors and metastastes. The lab has successfully translated a regenerative therapy from bench into clinical trials and has a reputation for rapidly identifying targets, developing therapeutic candidates, and accelerating through the drug discovery and development process. The PI, Dr. Santa Maria, is the Director of the Global SPARK program, Chief of the Division of Otology, and Neurotology and Vice Chair of Translational and Clinical Research within the Department of Otolaryngology. The lab is openly collaborative, non-hierarchical, and promotes sharing of high risk ideas to solve unmet medical needs in hearing loss. We aim to train and develop leaders in hearing loss discovery science and translation.

The Research Technician will be responsible for data collection and analysis according to protocols defined in NIH grant applications, as well as care and maintenance of animals according to standards defined by the federal government and the University of Pittsburgh IACUC. In addition, this individual will instruct junior laboratory members and students regarding methods for data collection and analysis and animal care, and will monitor progress to assure that all Federal and University regulations are adhered to. The position requires a Bachelor's degree; prior experience in a research laboratory, and particularly in using immunohistochemical techniques, is preferred.