Research Assistant

Research Assistant

The CALM lab studies translational issues in transfusion medicine such as the immune response to transfused blood cells, with projects spanning autoimmunity, alloimmunity, tolerance, and aging.

A successful candidate will be a self-starter, have excellent organizational and record keeping skills, and be able to multi-task while maintaining precision and quickness.

Both animal and human studies are performed in the lab. The primary responsibilities of this position include: participation in day-to-day laboratory research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator (including experimental set-up, completion, data collection and data analysis). For human studies, the candidate will be responsible for managing all aspects of these research studies, from recruiting volunteers, screening subjects, ordering necessary supplies, scheduling, consenting volunteers, performing lab tests, and other logistical study support. Phlebotomy certification is preferred. For animal studies, mouse colony management (including animal husbandry, genotyping, phenotyping, and daily monitoring of experimental mice) is required. Skills frequently utilized to complete daily tasks include: mouse handling, basic lab skills (e.g. pipetting, loading a gel), DNA extraction and PCR, flow cytometry, and sterile technique. Additionally, animal husbandry and colony management rely on basic knowledge of genetics (e.g. Mendelian inheritance patterns).

Responsibilities

• 20% - Human study subject recruitment and support
• 20% - Recording/analyzing data
• 20% - Performing animal experiments
• 20% - Animal husbandry
• 15% - General lab maintenance
• 5%- Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and at least one and one-half years of related experience or equivalent in education, training, and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in biology (Cell and/or Molecular Biology preferred) or a related field and at least 1 year of laboratory experience.
• The ideal candidate will be highly motivated, highly organized, able to multi-task, take initiative, start and complete projects.
• This position requires the technical ability to complete procedures and properly record and report results.
• Applicants with experience in animal colony management and animal husbandry are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Experience with flow cytometry, PCR, Western blotting, and/or recombinant DNA will be an advantage.
• Phlebotomy experience is preferred.

Key skills/competency

• Research Assistant
• Transfusion Medicine
• Immune Response
• Autoimmunity
• Alloimmunity
• Animal Studies
• Human Studies
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis
• Flow Cytometry