Jobs

Associate Director for Research

Simons Foundation mission and goals

The Simons Foundation is a private non-profit foundation dedicated to advancing the frontiers of research in the basic sciences and mathematics. The mission of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is to understand the causes of autism and thereby improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of this and related developmental disorders.

Toward this end, SFARI supports bold, imaginative and rigorous research relevant to this spectrum of prevalent disorders. In addition to supporting the research of individual investigators, SFARI also funds a large research sample of families each with one child with autism (the 'Simons Simplex Collection') and is involved in numerous other initiatives aimed at creating tools for and fostering the exchange of ideas among scientists working in autism research. For more information about SFARI visit sfari.org.

This is an exciting and active time in autism research. SFARI is growing (we currently support ~50 laboratories and plan to make grants totaling more than $100 million for research over the next five years) and we are looking for an additional scientist to join the scientific team. This individual will help shape the overall direction of the research program to ensure the highest possible impact of SFARI funding.

Job Description

Reporting to the Scientific Director, the core responsibilities of the Associate Director for Research will be as follows:

  • Stay ahead of the field of autism research
  • Evaluate and manage a number of investigator-initiated research grants
  • Draft relevant RFAs
  • Help plan and lead review panels
  • Interact with the Scientific Advisory Board
  • Solicit and evaluate progress reports
  • Organize and participate in site visits
  • Organize and participate in workshops and SFARI scientific meetings
  • Attend relevant scientific meetings (autism, basic neuroscience, genetics, etc.)
  • Communicate with other foundations or organizations as needed

Qualifications

Applicants should have a PhD or MD and postdoctoral experience with broad knowledge of the scientific landscape plus laboratory experience in a relevant field. They must be able to think broadly about scientific problems while maintaining attention to detail. Integrity and resilience for making tough calls is essential. Strong interpersonal and written and oral communication skills, and a passion for learning new material are important, as are willingness to travel to meetings in the US and abroad. SFARI is a small team, so flexibility to pitch in on other projects when needed and a sense of humor are particularly important.

Although applicants with a strong scientific background in relevant fields (neuroscience, genetics, developmental biology) will be considered, preference will be given to those with a background in genetics and genomics.

The job is based in Manhattan, at the offices of the Simons Foundation. The Simons Foundation offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits.

Interested candidates should send their resume and cover letter with salary requirements to jobs@sfari.org. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with a deadline of November 30, 2008.