News Release

The Johns Hopkins University will hold a job fair on Saturday, May 2, seeking candidates for specialized science and administrative jobs expected to open up thanks to extra research funding in the federal government's economic stimulus package.

The university will be recruiting experienced professionals and technicians in fields including laboratory work, information technology, grants and contracts administration, and finance. Most of the positions expected to open up require at least a bachelor's degree.

The fair will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the location will be disclosed to jobseekers who register in advance on the university's human resources Web site.

The number of possible open positions is not yet known, said Cherita Hobbs, a senior human resources director at the university and one of the organizers of the Science and Research Job Fair. That will depend, she said, on the number of stimulus-funded research grants awarded by Johns Hopkins faculty in peer-reviewed competitions organized by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

"But the whole point of the stimulus is to create jobs as quickly as possible to get the economy moving, and we want to be ready to hire when grant money becomes available to the university," Hobbs said. "The fair will build a pipeline of potential candidates so we'll be ready when the time comes."

NIH and NSF have received $12.4 billion as part of the stimulus to award in research grants between now and September 2010, Hobbs said. Scott Zeger, the university's acting provost, said he expects Johns Hopkins scientists to submit more than 500 proposals for stimulus-funded projects.

Success on some number of those proposals would mean new job opportunities for both researchers and support staff, opportunities that would last at least 18 months and come with regular Johns Hopkins University benefits.

Johns Hopkins has been the leading U.S. academic institution in total research and development spending for 29 years in a row. Its researchers do groundbreaking work in medicine, public health, nursing and the life sciences, in physical sciences such as astronomy, chemistry and physics, and in engineering.

Stimulus jobs supported by external grant funding from agencies such as NIH and NSF are not subject to the university's recently announced hiring freeze.

Attendance at the fair is limited. Potential job seekers must register at hr.jhu.edu/jobfair no later than Wednesday, April 29. Further information about where and when to report on the day of the fair will be provided at the registration Web site. Fair attendees should bring at least two copies of their resumes.

The federal stimulus package passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama is formally known as "The American Recovery and Revitalization Act of 2009." "We are excited about the opportunities that ARRA provides for Johns Hopkins to make important contributions to human knowledge and at the same time help turn the economic tide," said Zeger, who, as acting provost, is coordinating the university's preparations to gear up for stimulus-related research work.

"Johns Hopkins is the largest private employer in Baltimore and, with its expenditures in research, teaching, patient care, construction and other areas, has helped to insulate the region against the worst of the recession," Zeger said. "We are working very hard to take full advantage of the opportunities afforded by the stimulus to advance health and to help promote economic recovery."

To view current job opportunities, visit jobs.jhu.edu.