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.

Research Scientist -

Conducts independent scientific research projects from inception to presentation.

Prepares and crafts various documentations of research results into manuscripts, proposals, grant applications, and presentations.

Trains undergraduates and research technicians.

Manages laboratory policies and coordinates project development in collaboration with other specialists.