Job Number S-001

Job Title : TIGS-India Science Writer – Closing date May 25, 2018

The UC San Diego campus has been fortunate to receive a path-breaking gift from the Tata Trust in India to create the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS). TIGS will have operations on the UC San Diego (TIGS-UCSD) campus and at inStem, within the campus of the National Center for Biological Sciences, in Bangalore, India (TIGS-India). Starting immediately, TIGS-India is seeking applications from outstanding candidates for a Science Writer. The position is a 5-year contract and the person is expected to work in Bangalore at TIGS-India.

The aims of the institute include a focus on vector-borne diseases, which involve building and testing the efficacy and fitness of next generation gene-drive constructs in pilot experiments in fruit flies, mosquitoes, and possibly other insects. TIGS also will be involved in contributions to the identification and characterization of test sites for field trials for mosquito-borne diseases, as well as contributions to regulatory and community engagement processes. Extension beyond vector-borne diseases includes cancer cell therapy, agricultural research, reduction of antibiotic resistance, and economic, ethical, and public policy Implications of these next generation tools.

Under the general supervision of the Chief Scientific Officer, the Science Writer will be tasked with all aspects of science writing and strategic communications planning for TIGS-India, which will include the creation of interesting, accurate, and effective press releases related to TIGS-India, its mission and its work. Such press releases will be disseminated to local, national, and international media markets. The candidate is expected to cultivate relationships with media outlets in targeted markets, and produce technical, comprehensive, and compelling communications about the work of TIGS with technical descriptions appropriate for the target audience. The Science Writer will be responsible for developing and maintaining a website for dissemination of communications related to TIGS, and maintaining relationships with scientific leadership within TIGS-India. As part of the requirements of the position, the successful candidate will be responsible for editing draft communications, ensuring proper grammar and journalism style, facilitating translations when necessary, and working closely with outside communications firms, when needed, on the proper timing and audience for press releases and other written communications. The successful candidate should have a Masters’s or Ph.D. degree in communications, journalism, or a related field with experience in biological sciences and a minimum of 5-years of experience in technical writing for a variety of audiences in a communication, journalistic or public relations setting. The successful candidate will have outstanding English-language, writing, grammar and editorial skills with a high attention to detail and accuracy, strong editorial judgement, diplomacy, interpersonal skills, and the ability to work independently in both proactive and reactive scenarios in a socially-conscious and ethical manner toward implementation of the TIGS-India mission.

Please forward the following for consideration of your application – (a) a statement of purpose explaining the salient aspects of your background that are relevant to the position; (b) your curriculum vitae and names and contact details for at least 3 references, (c) samples of your independent writing.

Please send the application, with a clear reference to the Job number listed above, to the following email jobs-tigs@instem.res.in by May 25, 2018 . Incomplete and irrelevant applications will not be considered.