Microscopy Director of Operations

Summary:

The Ragon Institute is a highly unique, innovative, and collaborative research center at the forefront of biomedical science. Founded by Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard, the Ragon vision is a bold one: to harness the power of the immune system to prevent and cure human disease on a global scale. This vision is pursued and advanced every day by a group of highly motivated individuals. The Ragon Institute, at every level, depends upon collaboration, compassion, dedication, and innovation. It is a results-oriented organization that seeks people who not only embrace these values but who thrive in teams and want to work in a dynamic environment.

At the Ragon Institute, people are our greatest asset. In this role, the Microscopy Director will be an integral part of the evolution of the organization. They will be responsible for overseeing the daily operations and financial solvency of the Ragon's current microscopy core, but they will also play a critical role in helping to evolve and grow the facility. Specifically, the Microscopy Director will manage state-of-the-art fluorescence microscopy equipment s, supporting a wide range of scientific research across multiple disciplines, including immunology, tissue biology, cell biology, and microbiology. The Director will also be responsible for ensuring the microscopy facility operates at the highest standards, providing technical expertise, training, and support to researchers, and driving innovation in imaging techniques and technologies.

The ideal candidate is a highly skilled scientist with deep expertise in advanced microscopy techniques, a proven track record of supporting cutting-edge research, enjoy collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams, thrive on creating new processes, and possess strong leadership and management abilities. Ultimately, they will be a strategic thought partner and a trusted advisor to the core users and Ragon leadership team.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Leadership and Oversight:

• In collaboration with end-users, develop and implement a strategic plan for the facility, ensuring that it stays at the forefront of microscopy technology and research capabilities.
• Compare the core to peer institutions' resources through benchmarking studies.
• Identify appropriate facility operating metrics and regularly analyze data.
• Develop a process to track core utilization and optimization.
• Present programmatic and financial data analysis on core performance to a variety of audiences.
• Advise the Executive Team and Faculty regarding the scientific appropriateness and value of current / new equipment for the core.
• Ensure compliance with MGH, Ragon, and US Federal regulations as they apply to core facilities.

Facility Management and Operations:

• Lead and manage all microscopy operations, ensuring the smooth functioning and availability of instruments, technology platforms, and services to researchers.
• Determines and writes user policies for the facility.
• Stay updated on the latest microscopy advancements and disseminate best practices across the research community.
• Develop educational programs, workshops, and seminars to enhance the knowledge and skills of microscopy users within the organization.
• Lead the training and mentorship of scientists, students, and staff in microscopy techniques, image acquisition, and analysis.

Research Support and Collaboration:

• Work closely with researchers across various scientific disciplines to design and optimize microscopy experiments, providing guidance on the best imaging techniques, protocols, and analyses for their scientific questions.
• Collaborate with investigators to develop novel imaging approaches and methods, facilitating high-impact publications and discoveries.
• Act as a liaison between the microscopy core and research groups, ensuring that services are aligned with the evolving needs of the scientific community.

Financial Oversight

• Collaborate with the Ragon Finance Team and Imaging Committee in creating long and short-term business plans and yearly budgets.
• Monitor budgets to ensure fiscal solvency.
• Report on core performance; investigate and provide resolution options to remedy variances from expected to actual business and performance indicators.
• Maintain accurate records of facility usage for reporting and billing purposes.
• Oversee safety protocols and ensure compliance with all relevant regulations regarding the use of microscopes and related technologies.

Equipment Management and Innovation:

• Oversee the maintenance, calibration, and upgrades of all microscopy equipment, ensuring optimal performance and data quality.
• Drive innovation by introducing new microscopy technologies, imaging modalities, and advanced techniques such as high-resolution multiplexed confocal imaging (both in tissues and cells), cleared 3D organ imaging, multiphoton imaging, spatial omics, FLIM, and live-cell imaging.
• Collaborate with vendors and suppliers to evaluate and acquire new instruments that enhance the facility's capabilities.
• Advise the space committee around the physical space requirements for institutional shared research cores.

Data Management and Analysis:

• Oversee data acquisition, processing, and image analysis workflows, ensuring that high-quality imaging data is collected and stored appropriately.
• Implement and provide support for advanced image analysis software and tools (e.g., Imaris, Avia, Arivis, Napari, ImageJ etc.), ensuring that researchers can effectively analyze complex datasets.
• Promote the integration of microscopy data with other scientific datasets to support multi-modal analysis and advanced research.

Grant Writing and Funding:

• Support researchers in the preparation of grant applications by providing technical expertise related to microscopy techniques and experimental design.
• Lead and contribute to the development of facility-based grants to enhance the microscopy core's capabilities and support infrastructure improvements.

Education:

• PhD in biology, biophysics, biomedical engineering, or a related field with significant experience in advanced microscopy techniques.

Experience:

• 7+ years of experience in fluorescence microscopy, including but not limited to confocal, live-cell light sheet, multiphoton, and super-resolution microscopy, with a strong record of publications or research contributions. Experience with modern multiplexed tissue/organ imaging techniques is highly advantageous.
• Ideally, extensive experience in managing or directing a microscopy core facility or research laboratory.
• Proven ability to collaborate with and support researchers in designing microscopy experiments across diverse scientific disciplines.
• Prior experience in an academic setting highly preferred.

Skills:

• Deep expertise in advanced microscopy techniques and imaging modalities.
• Proficient in microscopy software and image analysis tools (e.g., ImageJ, Imaris, or similar).
• Strong leadership and management skills, with experience in supervising staff and training users.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to interact with a broad range of researchers and stakeholders.
• Ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues and optimize imaging protocols for scientific rigor.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Significant experience with light and fluorescence microscopy, including live-cell confocal, super-resolution, light sheet and other and specialized imaging techniques.
• Experience in quantitative image analysis. A familiarity with modern machine learning and artificial intelligence applications in image analysis is a benefit.
• Experience with grant writing and securing funding for microscopy-related research or infrastructure.

Work Setting: M-F, 8:30 am - 5 pm, on-site

The above job description details the major duties and qualifications of the listed position. The individual hired to this position confirms that they are able to perform all duties outlined. Although the specific duties and responsibilities of this position may vary slightly, the supervisor of this position will ensure that the individual hired to this position is trained and qualified to complete each task assigned.

Massachusetts General Hospital is an Affirmative Action Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.