Department: Knight Campus
Rank: Research Assistant (Type B), Research Associate
Annual Basis: 12 Month
Review of Applications Begins
November 2, 2026; position open until filled.
Special Instructions to Applicants
Along with your current CV, please submit a cover letter detailing your expertise and interest in applying for this position.
Department Summary
The Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact is an ambitious initiative designed to fast-track scientific discoveries into innovations that improve the quality of life for people in Oregon, the nation, and the world. The campus creates the intellectual infrastructure to establish Oregon as a center for both research and development, making Oregon a place where companies can start up and grow. The Knight Campus will reshape the higher education landscape in Oregon by training the next generations of scientists, forging tighter ties with industry and entrepreneurs, and creating new educational opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students.
The Knight Campus Communications team develops and implements the overall marketing and communication strategy for all units and programs within the Knight Campus — actively managing and directing websites and affiliated digital and social media channels. The office plans, creates, produces and distributes annual reports, presentations, newsletters, brochures, blogs, advertisements, photos, videos, email campaigns, recruitment collateral, news releases, announcements, stories and profiles. The team elevates the local relevance, national competitiveness and global recognition of the Knight Campus and its components and individual PIs. The team develops and administers the campus' brand identity standards in accordance with the university's overall marketing strategy and identity standards.
Position Summary
This position acts as resource to research labs and initiatives, academic programs, and Knight Campus leadership, providing scientific writing and visual production support for proposals, recruiting and marketing materials, presentations, strategic research priorities, and other collateral communications requiring scientific and technical writing and visual representation assistance. The position provides critical consultation to Principle Investigator and unit leads on target audience, impact statements/assertions, alternative application narratives, and specific tools and approaches to disseminating discovery and innovation to niche and broad-based audiences. The position is the key communications lead for for high-profile, externally funded research initiatives including the Human Performance Alliance at Oregon, the Center for Biomedical Data Science, and Peak Oregon all of which are interdisciplinary and multi-unit programs. The position relays complex scientific information into a number of media, much of which is intended for non-scientific audiences.
Minimum Requirements
Degree requirement for the rank of Research Assistant:
• BA/ BS in Bioengineering, Materials Science Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Human Physiology, or Physics, or related area.
Degree requirement for the rank of Research Associate:
• PhD in Bioengineering, Materials Science Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Human Physiology, or Physics, or related area.
Minimum qualifications for both Research Assistant/Research Associate ranks:
• 3 years of professional experience with primary responsibilities for a communications, proposal writing or other similar position in a research, hospital, advocacy organization, government, or similar organization focused on engineering, medicine, or the applied sciences.
• Experience in proposal/policy/advocacy writing in support of research/sponsored projects.
• Project management experience.
Professional Competencies
• Commitment to and experience with promoting and enhancing diversity and inclusion.
• Ability to be effective in an interdisciplinary team environment and with a variety of stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and students from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Ability to meet deadlines, proactively anticipate needs, manage, and prioritize multiple tasks or projects, and work independently without supervision, while handling frequent interruptions and shifting priorities to ensure the success of projects and regular workflow.
• Excellent attention to detail and consistent follow-through.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, including the ability to analyze, summarize and effectively present and distribute data and reports to leadership.
Preferred Qualifications
• Demonstrated experience working in a research laboratory in Bioengineering, Materials Science Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Human Physiology, Neuroscience, or related field.
• Science communication experience of work other than candidate’s own in a professional setting.
• Experience with commonly used project management software and tools such as Smartsheet, Monday.com, or Trello.
• Demonstrated excellence in synthesizing technical information into precise, well-written, captivating, understandable text.
• Demonstrated excellence in copyediting skills.
• Experience with common communications platforms including but not limited to Word, PowerPoint, Drupal, MailChimp, Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, etc.
All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check.
The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit our website.
The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please email us or call 541-346-5112.
UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy (including pregnancy-related conditions), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, familial status, citizenship, service in the uniformed services (as defined in federal and state law), veteran status, expunged juvenile record, and/or the use of leave protected by state or federal law in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed here.
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