The Division of Aging Biology (DAB) is recruiting for the following positions:
- Program Officer, Regenerative Biology Portfolio, Division of Aging Biology, NIA
- Program Officer, Molecular Epidemiology, Division of Aging Biology, NIA
- Program Officer, Microbiome and Virome in Aging Physiology Portfolio, Division of Aging Biology, NIA
DAB is one of four scientific Divisions at the NIA. It supports research in basic, applied, and translational research through grants and a robust program to provide biological resources for extramural investigators. The objective of DAB-funded research is to elucidate the basic biochemical, genetic, and physiological mechanisms underlying the process of aging and age-related changes in humans and in animal models of human aging. This includes investigations of alterations of structure and function that characterize aging and investigations of how these adverse changes become risk factors for, or accompany, age-related conditions and disease states. The Division provides resources needed to support aging research comprising aged rodent and NHP colonies, rodent and NHP cell and tissue banks as well as the Primate Aging database.
For additional information about these positions, please contact Ms. Karleigh Price with a resume and letter of interest and to learn details about the application process for a position at NIA/NIH.
Program Officer, Regenerative Biology Portfolio, Division of Aging Biology, NIA
The Division of Aging Biology (DAB) is recruiting for a Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology portfolio. DAB is one of four scientific Divisions in the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a major research component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS and NIH are Equal Opportunity Employers.
The DAB supports research to elucidate the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying the processes of aging and age-related changes in humans and non-human animals. The DAB is expanding its commitment to support research on biological mechanisms of aging in studies with human participants and emphasizes understanding of the biological factors influencing health disparities, with a goal of improving health at older ages and minimizing disparities in health outcomes. The Aging Physiology Branch, one of the branches of the DAB, has diverse portfolios on organ system aging. Information on the Division and the Aging Physiology Branch can be found at https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dab.
Stem cell exhaustion is one of the key hallmarks of aging, contributing to loss of tissue homeostasis in multiple organs. Stem cells are also one of the main components targeted for tissue regeneration and restoration of function (rejuvenation). The DAB has supported research in stem cell aging and in mechanisms of rejuvenation and seeks a qualified program officer to continue support for, and expansion of, this portfolio.
The Program Officer for the Regenerative Biology portfolio will be expected to promote research on:
- The significance of age-related changes and their functional importance in stem cells and loss of function with aging.
- Distinct and shared features of stem cell aging in different tissues.
- Stem cell-niche interactions.
- Mechanisms that can be activated or utilized to promote tissue regeneration.
- The molecular mechanisms by which lifespan-extending interventions impact stem cell function.
- The molecular mechanisms by which lifespan-extending interventions impact the potential for rejuvenation or regeneration.
- Molecular mechanisms and features of aging that affect organ transplants and tissue grafts.
- Promote use of resources developed under the Common Fund programs that related directly or indirectly to stem cell function.
The appropriate individual for this position will be a scientist with a research background in basic biology. Experience in biology of aging is desirable but not required. Responsibilities will span the entire scientific mission of the DAB, and will include devising programs, overseeing applications and awards, and interacting with the scientific community at meetings and workshops and participating in the NIA and NIH.
To Apply
Applications must be made through USAJOBS in response to the NIH Global Announcement. Applicants should respond under the NIH GS-15 Supervisory Health Science Administrator announcement, and applications must be submitted through that website to be considered. Please note that there are two announcements: one for applicants who are currently federal employees and one for those who are NOT currently federal employees. All inquiries will remain confidential. Interested candidates can send cover letter and resume to NIAJobs@nih.gov.
Program Officer for Molecular Epidemiology, Division of Aging Biology, NIA
We are looking to fill a Program Officer position in the Division of Aging Biology (DAB) for a new portfolio on Molecular Epidemiology. As applied to the biology of aging, the molecular epidemiology program officer will be responsible for managing a research portfolio that contributes to better understanding of aging as a risk factor for functional declines that permit or contribute to disease – or facilitate avoidance or tolerance of disease. This research will emphasize geroscience concepts in the involvement of intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors recognized at the molecular level and related to etiology of disease and dysfunction in the health of aging populations and individuals.
Major challenges for this field include the dichotomy between adaptive and pathological aspects of aging, and the development of methods to identify outliers in populations for characteristics of faster or slower rates of aging. In addition, a fundamental question for molecular epidemiology applied to aging is how to quantify aging as the primary risk factor for deterioration of biological function among which are increased risks of infectious or chronic disease. Given emerging opportunities to utilize the tools of molecular epidemiology such as open-source data, and the availability of large data sets from human studies to inform and guide the study of aging biology, the development of this portfolio within the DAB is needed and timely.
Major emphasis of this new portfolio will be on:
- Broadening the understanding of relationships between environmental exposures and rates of aging.
- Developing better biomarkers for rates of aging.
- Establishing connections and integration between cross-sectional and longitudinal studies.
- Providing expertise on the NIA Clinical Research Operations & Management System
The Program Officer for the Molecular Epidemiology Portfolio also will work closely with the Deputy Division Director in developing programs on the biology of health disparities. The position requires collaborations within DAB across portfolios and within NIA across Divisions.
The appropriate individual for this position will be a scientist with a research background in basic biology and/or molecular epidemiology with a Ph.D. or M.D. degree (or equivalent).
This is a Federal GS-13 or GS-14 position located in Montgomery County MD. The level will be based upon individual qualifications and professional experience. Salary is commensurate with the candidate's experience and a full package of Civil Series benefits is available, including recruitment, health and life insurance, leave, and savings (401K equivalent). The position is in the Cell Biology Branch of the Division of Aging Biology.
To Apply
Applications must be made through USAJOBS in response to the NIH Global Announcement. The next such announcement is expected in January 2022. Applicants should respond under the NIH Supervisory Health Science Administrator announcement, and applications must be submitted through that website to be considered. Please note that there are two announcements: one for applicants who are currently federal employees and one for those who are NOT currently federal employees. All inquiries will remain confidential. Interested candidates can send cover letter and resume to NIAJobs@nih.gov.
Program Officer, Microbiome and Virome in Aging Physiology Portfolio, Division of Aging Biology, NIA
The Division of Aging Biology (DAB) is recruiting for a new Microbiome and Virome in Aging Physiology portfolio (both referred to as microbiomes in points below). DAB is one of four scientific Divisions in the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a major research component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS and NIH are Equal Opportunity Employers.
The DAB supports research to elucidate the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying the processes of aging and age-related changes in humans and non-human animals. The DAB is expanding its commitment to support research on biological mechanisms of aging in studies with human participants and emphasizes understanding of the biological factors influencing health disparities, with a goal of improving health at older ages and minimizing disparities in health outcomes. The Aging Physiology Branch, one of the branches of the DAB, has diverse portfolios on organ system aging. Learn more about the Division and the Aging Physiology Branch.
The basis on which to develop a portfolio on Microbiomes is based on the suggestion, more than a century ago, that microbiota would have pathological consequences for health. More recently, and promoted by the Human Microbiome Common Fund program, we have come to recognize the importance of microbiota in sustaining health, and thus there is a yin-and-yang character to microbiomes. This is true for other hallmarks of aging (microbiome dysbiosis is a likely hallmark of aging but is as-yet not recognized as such), many of which may be beneficial in some circumstances and maladaptive in others. The microbiomes and microbially produced metabolites are known to influence organ functions in the host. Diet and a range of environmental factors are also known to influence microbiomes, although the majority of attention has been paid to the lower gut microbiome. Despite this attention to microbiomes – in humans and in research with laboratory-housed animals – there is a lack of sufficient understanding of changes in the microbiomes with aging that would provide clues to interventions that might improve health at older ages. In addition, recent attention to the role of endogenous human viruses on health and aging is gaining greater attention, however very little is known about the impacts of these commensal microbes. To address this dearth, the Division of Aging Biology seeks a qualified scientist to oversee and develop a program on the microbiome and virome in aging.
The Program Officer for the Microbiome and Virome in Aging Physiology portfolio will be expected to promote research on:
- The significance of age-related changes in microbiomes and their functional importance in human populations in relation to multimorbidity and loss of function with aging.
- The contribution of aging microbiomes to health disparities.
- Influences of diet on aging microbiomes.
- Influences of sudden environmental changes on aging microbiomes – whether those changes are transient or sustained.
- Influence on the microbiomes, and whether the effects are mediated through the microbiomes, of interventions that extend lifespan or alter health at older ages.
- Develop opportunities to promote barrier-free research on microbiomes in non-human animals, including laboratory-housed, domestic, or wild populations (invertebrates and vertebrates).
- Whether antibiotic-influenced changes in the microbiomes of young organisms have life-course-impacts on aging.
- The interactions between the microbiomes and other hallmarks of aging.
- Coordinate with the programs on emerging technologies and on integrated and synthetic biology to develop novel analytical tools to alter or report on microbiomes.
- Promote use of resources developed under the Human Microbiome Common Fund program.
- Serve as coordinator or member of Trans-NIH programs related to the microbiome and virome.
The appropriate individual for this position will be a scientist with a research background in basic biology and/or epidemiology. Responsibilities will span the entire scientific mission of the DAB, and will include devising programs, overseeing applications and awards, and interacting with the scientific community at meetings and workshops and participating in the NIA and NIH.
This is a Federal GS-13 or GS-14 position located in Montgomery County MD. The level will be based upon individual qualifications and professional experience. Salary is commensurate with the candidate's experience and a full package of Civil Series benefits is available, including recruitment, health and life insurance, leave, and savings (401K equivalent).
To Apply
Interested individuals should apply through USAJobs to the NIH Global Announcement that will be open from January 18-27, 2023. The links to the postings are below.
Delegated Examining (Open to the Public)
Merit Promotion (Open to Status Candidates)