Research Associate

University of British Columbia Okanagan

The School of Engineering (SoE) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Okanagan campus, is accepting applications for a full-time Research Associate in DNA nanotechnology. As the lead researcher for the Director of the School, Professor William L. Hughes, the individual will lead the day-to-day operation of the lab. The anticipated start date of the Research Associate position is July 1, 2025 or upon a date to be mutually agreed. The -appointment is for two years ending June 30, 2027, subject to work performance and funding, with the possibility of extension. To date there is 2 years of stable support for this position; including salary, health benefits, and access to $60,000/year in materials and supplies to drive a research agenda forward in the area of Nucleic Acid Memory (NAM).
Applicants should be at the rank of a Research Associate , though applicants at the rank of Postdoctoral Fellow may be considered if they have postdoctoral experience at multiple labs in DNA nanotechnology, biotechnology, and Nucleic Acid Memory. They must be deeply skilled at designing, synthesizing, trouble-shooting, and characterizing nanostructures made from DNA using advanced tools and techniques. They have broad experience designing, building, and running a world-class research facility; in particular in an emerging research environment. Applicants will also have a stellar reputation supporting the training of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP); serving as a role model for inclusive excellence in support of diverse people, ideas, and opportunities.

The ideal candidate is also seeking to launch their career as an academic and/or serial entrepreneur. They must have sincere experience writing proposals, securing grants, managing budgets, driving results, taking quality publications from conception to completion, securing intellectual property, managing a patent portfolio, and establishing mutually-beneficial collaborations with academia, government agencies, and/or industry. As a future leader, they must have great technical and non-technical communication skills.

UBC is a global centre for research, teaching, and service, consistently ranked among the 40 best universities in the world – and top 20 public universities. According to Maclean’s 2023 University Rankings, UBC is Canada’s best engineering program. As one university, the Faculty of Applied Science is the bridge that connects Engineering across the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

The University opened its Okanagan campus in 2005 as a bold new UBC presence in the interior of beautiful British Columbia, designed to deliver on the promise of a research-intensive institution purpose-built for the 21st century. UBC Okanagan (UBCO) is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation. With the campus rapidly emerging as a research powerhouse, UBCO students receive an outstanding education in a stimulating student-centric learning environment. Over the last five years, campus research income has more than doubled. Success rates at the Canadian tri-councils (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR) have consistently exceeded national averages. Faculty have formal research partnerships with over 100 organizations (e.g. local non-profits, regional enterprises, national and multinational corporations, regional health authorities, hospitals, and municipalities), with activities on the main UBCO campus and in the Innovation UBC hub, which is located downtown in the Okanagan’s thriving tech ecosystem. In 2019, UBC Okanagan published Outlook 2040, a visioning exercise that positions the campus as one of Canada’s fastest growing post-secondary institutions. In partnership with Professor Hughes, the Research Associate has an outstanding opportunity to co-create a research enterprise in the area of DNA Nanotechnology that fully supports Outlook 2040.

The Research Associate will be a collaborative DNA nanotechnologist with a PhD in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, and/or Nanotechnology — that works at the intersection of the materials, biological, and information sciences. They will have extensive experience designing, building, and testing structures, systems, and circuits made from DNA. Competitive proposal-writing and grant-management experience as a PI/coPI is a requirement. Based on their high-quality publication/patent record, they will have experience using and creating novel metrology techniques at the interface of Spectroscopy, Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Super-Resolution Microscopy (SRM), and/or DNA Points Accumulation for Imaging in Nanoscale Topography (DNA-PAINT). More specifically, they will also have experience creating technologies to read, write, store, and edit digital information in DNA; in space, time, and/or sequence. They will also have experience leveraging DNA origami and/or Bricks as a molecular canvas/breadboard for programming, decorating, and interrogating biological and non-biological components. Because the Research Associate will represent their supervisor and UBC/O in many venues, it is imperative that they have excellent written and oral communication skills, as well as stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution abilities.

While based at UBC Okanagan, the Research Associate is expected to seek, secure, and support collaborations with the Vancouver campus and be prepared to collaborate with the Michael Smith Laboratories (MSL). UBC established Canada’s first interdisciplinary Biotechnology Lab in 1987 under the leadership of Michael Smith; who received the 1993 Nobel Prize for site-directed mutagenesis. In 2004, the Lab was renamed the Michael Smith Laboratories in honour of its founding Director. To date, there are over 300 research personnel in the Laboratory on the Vancouver campus. A strategic priority for UBC and the MSL is to expand the model onto the Okanagan campus to seed biotechnology in the region.

The Research Associate will help anchor the MSL @ UBCO within a pending 90,000 sq. ft. Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Innovation (ICI) building, which will open in 2025. When it opens, they will be joined by other faculty at UBCO that work at the intersection of the materials, biological, data, and social sciences. Areas of strategic alignment between the MSL and Professor Hughes include creating tools for: (1) human health/disease; (2) bioengineering and bioanalytical technologies; (3) plant biology, agricultural, and forestry genomics; (4) computational biology; and (5) learning and science education. With this foundation, and as a team, the Research Associate and Professor Hughes will create opportunities to integrate DNA nanotechnologies into complex environments and systems that are of value to British Columbia and Canada at large.
Expectations for the Research Associate include but are not limited to: (1) to co-design and build a state-of-the art DNA nanotechnology lab, (2) install and manage an integrated state-of-the art atomic force microscope and super-resolution system, (3) provide operational supervision of the lab and the people involved with it, (4) supervise and/or co-supervise graduate students, (5) seek, secure, and support grants as the primary investigator, co-investigator, and/or senior personnel, (6) seed, serve, and sustain MSL-caliber research activity at UBCO, (7) and teach strategic courses in Engineering, Biology, and/or Chemistry if it is both aligned to the career ambitions of the candidate and in support of the School of Engineering’s commitment to Outlook 2040.

The primary focus is research; however, the individual may be provided with an opportunity to teach undergrad and graduate courses as a Sessional Lecturer and will be compensated accordingly. Experience in teachingBiotechnology Fundamentals and Applications
is an asset.


Please submit your application online at by June 14, 2025. Applications must include: (1) curriculum vitae;
(2) a maximum 1-page letter of interest describing your motivations and qualifications; and
(3) names and contact information for three referees.

To comply with the Government of Canada’s reporting requirements, the University gathers information about applicants’ status as either a permanent resident of Canada or Canadian citizen. Therefore, all applications must include one of the following statements in their letter of interest
• I am a citizen or permanent resident of Canada; or
• I am not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

The complete application file must be submitted in the format of one book-marked PDF file.

To apply for this position please visit the link https://hr.ubc.ca/careers

Should you have any queries around this position or the recruitment process, please contact the the Manager Administration at [trudy.chimko@ubc.ca].

In assessing applications, UBC recognizes the legitimate impact that leaves (e.g., parental leave, leave due to illness) can have on a candidate's record of research achievement. These leaves will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process and should be included in the letter of interest and/or the curriculum vitae.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.
UBC welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for all candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. To make a confidential request for accommodations, please contact Trudy Chimko at trudy.chimko@ubc.ca.

The closing date for all applications is June 14, 2025. Only completed applications will be considered by the search committee.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. The position is subject to budgetary approval.