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. The shared values of the DGSOM are expressed in the Cultural North Star, which was developed by members of our community and affirms our unswerving commitment to doing what’s right, making things better, and being kind. These are the standards to which we hold ourselves, and one another.

Please read more about this important DGSOM program at Cultural North Star .