Research Program Manager

The Research Program Manager - Genetics & Biospecimen Operations manages the UCSF Memory and Aging Center's Genetics and Biospecimen Program, achieving the majority of program objectives through the coordinated work of direct-report administrative, data-management, laboratory supervisory, research associate, and laboratory assistant staff. The role sets priorities, staffing plans, operating standards, and quality expectations for biospecimen collection and sample processing performed by subordinate staff, while overseeing outsourced biobanking, specimen distribution, access/governance, genetic and biomarker data-sharing workflows, and operational support for clinical and observational studies.

The role functions primarily through staff and external partners rather than hands-on laboratory processing. It supervises the MAC Sample Processing Laboratory, oversees outsourced biobanking relationships and service delivery, and serves as a liaison to study PIs and research teams for collection protocols, processing workflows, sample access, distribution, and biospecimen-, biomarker-, and genetic-data requirements.

The Research Program Manager - Genetics & Biospecimen Operations reports directly to Dr. Adam Boxer and serves as the central operational authority for the MAC Genetics and Biospecimen Program. The role manages the MAC Sample Processing Laboratory through subordinate staff and oversees outsourced biobanking infrastructure and partnerships supporting four major MAC observational research programs and biomarker cores: ADRC, PPG, BrANCH, and ALLFTD. The position also provides operational support for Boxer Lab-specific biomarker discovery projects and related needs across MAC faculty, postdocs, and fellows.

The position operates with a high degree of autonomy, translating PI, study, and core objectives into subordinate goals, staffing and workload plans, collection and processing protocols, SOPs, governance processes, documentation systems, quality controls, and sustainable service models. The incumbent achieves the majority of operational objectives through direct reports and coordinates across principal investigators, clinicians, physicians, research coordinators, data teams, finance analysts, UCSF administrative partners, NIH program officials, external researchers, vendors, ATRI, NCRAD, and the 25+ ALLFTD participating sites.

For ALLFTD, the incumbent serves as the external-facing operational representative for biospecimen banking and distribution, including oversight of outsourced biobanking services and liaison with NCRAD regarding specimen distribution, sample availability, genetic data sharing, and biospecimen-associated information. The role supports communication with PIs, clinicians, physicians, and site teams and ensures distribution and data-sharing activities align with study governance, participant consent, institutional requirements, MTAs/DTAs, applicable policies, and vendor/service expectations.

For ADRC, PPG, and BrANCH, the incumbent provides Biomarker Core operational consultation to investigators, including collection protocol development, sample-processing feasibility, outsourced biobanking strategy, sample/data linkage, secure workflows, and implementation planning for MAC and non-MAC projects. The incumbent represents the UCSF ADRC on national best-practices biomarker working groups in collaboration with NACC, maintains external biobanking and service partnerships including ATRI, and works with finance analysts and leadership on recharge, cost-recovery, vendor/contract oversight, and sustainability strategies for a team with salary costs exceeding $1M annually.

The position is accountable for managing a defined, multi-study observational research infrastructure program through subordinate staff and external service partners. Effective leadership in this role is critical to compliant biospecimen collection, reliable sample processing, outsourced banking and distribution, secure and transparent data-sharing workflows, investigator service delivery, financial sustainability, vendor accountability, and operational continuity across the MAC's major observational research programs.

Department Overview

The UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center (MAC) is an internationally renowned clinical research center with over 200 full time employees with offices and clinical research space located in the Sandler Neurosciences Building and multiple other buildings on the UCSF Mission Bay Campus. The MAC provides clinical care for patients suffering from neurodegenerative disease processes; from this clinical population, external referrals, and direct recruitment efforts we enroll patients into more than 50 structured research protocols and/or treatment trials.

The Boxer Lab at the MAC has a mission to find effective, scientifically based treatments that lead to a cure for neurodegenerative brain diseases. This is accomplished through clinical trials that emphasize patient and family benefits and public health impact, and observational studies that deepen our understanding of the biological mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease.