"Lab & Research Technician"

Job Details

Advertising Summary: The Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine (BPM), at the VCU School of Pharmacy, is seeking a highly motivated individual with expertise in molecular biology and genomics to join our research team as a Lab/Research Technician or as a Senior Lab/Research Technician, dependent on experience and qualifications. The main purpose of this position is to conduct lab-technical applications to support BPM’s research program. The individual hired for this position will conduct hands-on lab-technical work for a NIH funded research project.

Unit: School Of Pharmacy MBU

Department: Biomarker Research Center (BPM)

Department Summary: The School of Pharmacy has a 126-year tradition beginning with the Medical College of Virginia and continuing to the present. Ranked in the top 20 Schools of Pharmacy nationwide, the school is dedicated to graduating outstanding future pharmacists and scientists who will improve human health, foster exemplary research, and provide sustaining contributions to inter-professional patient care. The School of Pharmacy is committed to fostering a climate where the success of all people is supported and celebrated.

Duties & Responsibilities:

General responsibilities include laboratory and instrument maintenance and daily bench work involving, e.g., handling and preparation of human bio-samples; various advanced molecular biology assays such as library construction and quality control for single-nucleus RNA sequencing. After appropriate training the successful candidate is expected to independently handle and process human tissue, isolate and quality control nuclei via manual and automated counting methods and support senior technicians in library construction approaches and quality control.

1. Conducting lab technical applications

• Processing bio-samples.
• Performing various types of quality control and preparing/pooling samples for downstream sequencing-based analysis and other applications.
• Operating advanced quality control instruments.

2. Maintenance of the laboratory environment and lab-technical instrumentation.

• Perform daily and weekly routines to ensure that the laboratory environment and all instrumentation are satisfactory clean, free of contamination risks and fulfills criteria for biosafety level II lab-technical work.
• Work closely with other team members, vendors and university support units to minimize the risk of/solve operational issues.
• Assist with preventive maintenance and repairs of lab-technical instrumentation and facilities.
• Perform other maintenance needs as are required to ensure the integrity of the laboratory environment and its efficient operation.
• Ensure that an appropriate inventory of reagents and supply is present in the laboratory and assist with orders as needed.

3. Professional development

• Learn and remain abreast of developments in molecular biology and genetic/genomic techniques relevant for the project at hand.

4. Documentation, data evaluation and communication

• Carefully document progress and challenges of all experiments/analyses performed by maintaining detailed records of all work according to standard operating procedures.
• Review and evaluate quality control information and other related data. Discuss results with team members to determine appropriate actions.
• Address project specific challenges with other team members, to find solutions, as they occur. Timely and professional interaction with team members.
• Support team members as needed and learn from others.
• Present the progress of the projects during weekly meetings.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific discipline, with documented experience in molecular biology and genetics, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Prior experience working in a laboratory environment with excellent hands-on-skills and theoretical knowledge in basic molecular biology including, e.g., PCR, RNA/DNA extractions and sample quantification.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work cleanly and reproducibly to prevent contamination and sample mix-up.
• Strong ability to work within a team of faculty, staff and trainees.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to learn and master new hands-on techniques and technologies quickly.
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with handling human biosamples.
• Experience in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS).
• Prior hand-on-experience with various types of sample preparation, library construction, quality control procedures.
• Experience with single-cell/single-nucleus technology.

Salary Range: $45,000-$65,000

This position is grant-funded, and funding is currently secured for one year. Continued employment beyond this period is contingent upon the availability of additional funding.

Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

FLSA Exemption Status: Non-Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

Restricted Position: Yes

ORP Eligible: No

Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite

University Job Title: 34052N - Lab/Research Technician 2

Contact Information: Contact Name: Karolina Aberg Contact Email: kaaberg@vcu.edu