Neurology - Assistant Research Scientist/Engineer

The Assistant Research Scientist supports the University of Iowa Health Care Department of Neurology’s Cerebrovascular and Neurointerventional Laboratory by providing senior-level scientific oversight and operational leadership for a multitude of investigator-initiated, multi-center, and international research projects. This role acts as scientific partner to the Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Santiago Ortega-Gutierrez, and plays a central role in shaping the Laboratory’s research strategy, collaborations, and academic productivity. This role, in close collaboration with Dr. Ortega-Gutierrez, coordinates daily laboratory operations, as well as planning research strategy, developing and executing grants, preparing manuscripts, and acting as a mentor to other lab members.  This position may participate in travel for scientific meetings or collaborative activities.

Responsibilities Include:

•       Provide functional and administrative leadership for the scientific operations of the lab, ensuring alignment with PI priorities and funded deliverables.

•       Supervise and mentor a multidisciplinary research team, including postdoctoral fellows, research fellows, PhD students, and trainees.

•       Oversee the analytical strategy for large-scale datasets, including clinical (e.g., Epic/EMR) and neuroimaging data, ensuring rigorous validation and appropriate methodological approaches.

•       Collaborate with dedicated statistical staff to guide modeling, interpretation, and quality control, even when analyses are not personally coded.

•       Ensure the scientific integrity and consistency of multicenter and international collaborations, including retrospective consortia.

•       Plan, lead, and document regular lab meetings; manage timelines, milestones, and deliverables across projects.

•       Provide direction, assignments, feedback, coaching, and counseling to support performance and professional development.

•       Manage day-to-day scientific operations to ensure projects progress on schedule and within scope.

•       Partner closely with the PI to identify and pursue high-impact funding opportunities (i.e., NIH, foundations, industry, and collaborative grants).

•       Contribute substantively to grant proposal development, including drafting specific aims, research strategy sections, protocols, and supporting documents.

•       Translate complex clinical and translational concepts into clear, compelling scientific narratives suitable for competitive funding applications.

•       Support the development and refinement of study protocols, analytical plans, and research documentation.

•       Contribute to progress reports, renewals, and compliance documentation required by funding agencies.

•       Ensure adherence to safety, regulatory, and institutional research guidelines as applicable to scientific activities.

•       Lead the writing, submission, and revision of high-impact manuscripts for top-tier neurology, stroke, and neurointerventional journals.

•       Coordinate authorship, timelines, and scientific content across multicenter collaborations.

•       Contribute to new and continuing research grant applications to support the lab’s funding portfolio.

•       Co-lea