Join the forefront of groundbreaking research at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, where we're changing lives and making a real difference in the fight against cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening illnesses. Our dedicated and compassionate faculty and staff are driven by a common mission: Contribute to innovative approaches in predicting, preventing, and curing diseases, shaping the future of medicine through cutting-edge research.

The Director of the Small Animal Imaging Shared Resource (SAI-SR) provides scientific, operational, and strategic leadership for all preclinical imaging services supporting the Cancer Center’s basic, translational, and therapeutic development programs. As a CCSG-designated Shared Resource, the SAI-SR enables rigorous, quantitative, and reproducible small-animal imaging studies that advance cancer discovery, therapeutic evaluation, and biomarker development. The Director works closely with Cancer Center leadership, research program leaders, and CCSG administration to ensure alignment with NCI expectations and evolving scientific priorities.

As a successful candidate, you will be responsible for:

1. Scientific Strategy & Cancer Center Integration

·         Shape the scientific vision of the Shared Resource to support the priorities of the Cancer Center’s strategic plan, research programs, and other components.

·         Collaborate with program leaders (e.g., Hematological Malignancies, Molecular and Cellular Biology of Cancer and Translational Sciences in Solid Tumors) to align imaging services with programmatic needs.

·         Drive innovation in cancer-relevant imaging, including metabolic imaging, immuno-PET, tumor microenvironment characterization, therapeutic response biomarkers, and longitudinal tumor monitoring.

·         Contribute to institutional initiatives in translational imaging, drug development, radiation response, immunotherapy, and multiparametric quantitative imaging.

·         Maintain a forward-looking technology roadmap to ensure timely adoption of next-generation imaging capabilities that strengthen CCSG competitiveness.

2. Shared Resource Governance & CCSG Compliance

·         Prepare annual and renewal-cycle CCSG reporting, including scientific highlights; usage analytics; user demographics; cancer relevance; publication metrics; and rigor, reproducibility, and quality-control documentation.

·         Participate in CCSG Shared Resource leadership meetings, internal advisory committees, and external advisory board (EAB) reviews.

·         Integrate SAI-SR capabilities into institutional initiatives such as pilot awards, team science programs, SPOREs, and multi-center consortia (U01/U54, P01).

·         Ensure equitable access, transparent prioritization, and adherence to NCI guidelines for Shared Resource management.

3. Operational Leadership

·         Direct daily operations across all imaging modalities, which may include PET/CT, SPECT/CT, MRI, optical/bioluminescence, ultrasound, photoacoustic, and intravital imaging.

·         Develop and maintain SOPs, QA/QC processes, and rigor/reproducibility frameworks consistent with CCSG expectations.

·         Implement harmonized imaging protocols to support longitudinal tumor studies and collaborative multi-site research.

·         Oversee data management systems for secure archiving, traceability, metadata capture, and reproducible quantitative analyses.

·         Manage scheduling, staffing, equipment uptime, training, and customer-focused service delivery.

4. Scientific Consultation & Investigator Support

·         Provide expert guidance on cancer imaging study design, including tumor model selection, imaging biomarker strategies, radiotracer/contrast agent selection, quantitative endpoints, and serial imaging strategies for therapeutic response.

·         Support investigators in developing imaging components for grants, SPORE applications, and multi-PI team science proposals.

·         Deliver workshops, seminars, and outreach activities to enhance imaging literacy, rigor, and best practices across the Cancer Center.

·         Mentor trainees and junior faculty engaged in preclinical cancer imaging.

5. Regulatory Oversight & Animal Welfare

·         Ensure compliance with IACUC, AAALAC, OLAW, and institutional animal-care policies.

·         Oversee radiation safety practices in coordination with Radiation Safety and EH&S, including radiotracer handling, hot-lab management, and dosimetry.

·         Establish standards for anesthesia, monitoring, humane endpoints, and biosafety for xenografts, PDXs, GEMMs, and syngeneic tumor models.

6. Personnel, Training & Team Management

·         Recruit, supervise, and mentor imaging technologists, research scientists, and technical staff.

·         Oversee training in advanced cancer imaging modalities, radiotracer handling, QA/QC, and analytical methods.

·         Foster a collaborative, service-oriented culture aligned with Cancer Center expectations for excellence in Shared Resource operations.

7. Financial Stewardship & Sustainability

·         Develop and manage Shared Resource budgets in accordance with institutional and NCI guidelines.

·         Establish cost-recovery recharge rates that meet institutional and CCSG requirements, ensure sustainability, and support broad access.

·         Partner with Cancer Center administration to pursue instrumentation grants (e.g., S10), CCSG supplements, and philanthropic funding.

·         Lead business planning for major equipment acquisitions and long-term capital needs.

Your qualifications should include:

·         PhD, DVM, MD, or equivalent in biomedical imaging, cancer biology, radiology, biomedical engineering, or related discipline.

·         5–10+ years of experience in small-animal imaging within a cancer-relevant research environment.

·         Expertise in at least two major imaging modalities (e.g., MRI, PET/CT, SPECT/CT, optical, ultrasound).

·         Experience in an academic research setting, ideally within a CCSG-funded Cancer Center.

·         Strong knowledge of cancer biology, tumor progression models, therapeutic mechanism-of-action studies, and immuno-oncology models.

·         Demonstrated leadership, supervisory skills, and operational management experience.

·         Familiarity with animal-care regulations and radiological safety requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

·         Prior leadership experience within a Shared Resource or Core Facility.

·         Experience supporting CCSG renewal efforts, SPORE programs, or multi-center imaging consortia.

·         Background in radiochemistry, tracer development, pharmacokinetics, or quantitative image analysis.

·         Publication record in cancer imaging or imaging-guided cancer biology.

·         Experience with QIN/QIBA principles and quantitative imaging standardization.

City of Hope employees pay is based on the following criteria: work experience, qualifications, and work location.

City of Hope is an equal opportunity employer.  

To learn more about our Comprehensive Benefits, please CLICK HERE.