Laboratory Technologist I

Type of Staff Position: Staff Research Grant (SRGP)

Basis : 12 months

Job Search Category: Other

About University of South Carolina:

From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.

South Carolina Retirement: Yes

State Insurance Programs: Yes

Annual Leave: Yes

Sick Leave: Yes

Advertised Job Summary:

The Laboratory Technologist I will provide technical and operational support for NIH-funded research focused on Parkinson’s disease. Under the supervision of the Principal Investigator and senior research personnel, the employee will perform established laboratory procedures, including preparation of reagents and biological samples, tissue processing, cell culture, molecular and biochemical assays, and other routine experimental techniques. The position will also support mouse colony management, including maintaining breeding records, coordinating breeding strategies, monitoring colony status, collecting tissue samples, performing PCR-based genotyping, and maintaining accurate genotype and colony records. Additional responsibilities will include maintenance and operation of laboratory equipment, inventory and ordering of supplies, organization of laboratory materials, record keeping, and documentation of experimental activities. The Laboratory Technologist I will also support laboratory safety and regulatory compliance, assist with training students and new laboratory personnel, and help coordinate day-to-day laboratory activities to ensure efficient and continuous research operations.

Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience:

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 1 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Pharmacology, or a closely related scientific discipline.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Previous laboratory research experience in an academic or biomedical research environment.
• Experience with one or more of the following is desirable: mammalian cell culture, tissue processing, immunohistochemistry or immunofluorescence, Western blotting, PCR and other molecular biology techniques, biochemical assays, microscopy, and handling of biological specimens.
• Experience working with laboratory mice, mouse colony management, breeding and record keeping, tissue collection, and PCR-based genotyping is strongly preferred.
• Candidates should demonstrate strong organizational skills, attention to detail, the ability to maintain accurate laboratory records, and the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary research team.

Job Duty:

Perform established laboratory procedures in support of research projects involving experimental models of Parkinson’s disease. Duties may include mammalian cell culture, preparation of reagents and biological samples, brain tissue processing, immunostaining, Western blotting, PCR and related molecular biology technologies, biochemical assays, microscopy, sample collection, and accurate documentation of experimental procedures and results.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 35

Job Duty:

Support the management of genetically modified and other research mouse colonies used in ongoing studies. Maintain breeding and colony records, coordinate breeding activities according to established research needs, monitor colony status, assist with animal identification and weaning, collect tissue samples for genotyping, perform DNA extraction and PCR-based genotyping, document and interpret genotype results, and communicate colony status to appropriate research personnel. Perform all activities in accordance with approved animal-use protocols and institutional requirements.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 20

Job Duty:

Support the daily operation and organization of the laboratory. Maintain inventories of reagents, consumables, and laboratory supplies; prepare orders and assist with purchasing; receive and properly store materials; prepare commonly used laboratory reagents and solutions; and help ensure that laboratory equipment is maintained in appropriate working conditions. Assist with routine equipment maintenance, organization of shared laboratory areas, and coordination of laboratory resources.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 20

Job Duty:

Assist with maintaining compliance with laboratory safety procedures, institutional policies, biosafety requirements, animal research protocols, and other applicable research regulations. Maintain appropriate laboratory records and documentation, assist with preparation for laboratory inspections, monitor required safety materials and records, and help ensure proper handling, storage, and disposal of biological and chemical materials. Scientific Communication and Research Dissemination: Prepare manuscripts, progress reports, grant-related materials, and present research findings at laboratory meetings, departmental seminars, scientific conferences, and collaborative meetings to facilitate scientific exchange and dissemination of research discoveries.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 10

Job Duty:

Assist with the orientation and training of students, trainees, and new laboratory personnel in routine laboratory procedures, equipment operation, record keeping, mouse colony management, and laboratory safety practices. Provide general technical assistance to research personnel and perform other laboratory-related duties necessary to support efficient and timely completion of funded research activities.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 10

Job Duty:

Other essential activities for the good of the laboratory, department and university will be occasionally assigned at the discretion of the PI (and in consultation with employee). These are aimed at ensuring continued research funding to laboratory.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 5

Hazardous weather category: Non-Essential

Employees in Safety-Sensitive or Security-Sensitive positions will be subject to pre-employment and post-employment drug testing in accordance with University policy HR 1.95 Drug and Alcohol Testing.: No

Number of Vacancies: 1

Job Open Date: 09/30/2026

Job Close Date: 11/04/2026

Open Until Filled: No

Special Instructions to Applicant:

Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email.

We are only accepting applications submitted by November 4, 2026.

Quicklink for Posting: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/213929

EEO Statement:

The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.

Organization

Working at University of South Carolina

With more than 200 years of history and tradition, the University of South Carolina is redefining itself for decades to come. There's never been a better time to be at South Carolina, the state's flagship university and one of only 62 public universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation's highest designation for research.

The University is located in the heart of South Carolina in the capital city of Columbia, which is the nexus of government, a thriving arts and culture center, a venue for big-time Southeastern Conference intercollegiate athletics, and a community that is reinventing itself with redevelopment projects citywide. Much of the development is tied to land along the scenic, slow-moving Congaree River. Working with government, business, and community leaders, Carolina has developed a unified plan that will allow the University to expand from its origins on the historic Horseshoe to its future-Innovista, a research and innovation district that will stretch to the banks of the Congaree.

Innovista represents a new vision for research by creating a vibrant, urban community where students and researchers, including those from private firms, will live, work, learn, and play. Innovista will represent the University's four core research areas-hydrogen fuel cells, nanoscience and technology, biomedical and public health, and the environment-but will include other initiatives and business partners that serve the knowledge economy. Innovista's first private tenant, for example, is a leader in software applications for the insurance industry and will create several hundred high-paying jobs.

By attracting similar companies and jobs-and by capitalizing on an attractive location for restaurants and residential and retail space-Innovista will help drive the economy and increase per-capita income in the city and state. Recreational space will include a world-class waterfront park along the Congaree River and a new stadium for the Gamecocks' nationally ranked baseball program. Greenway paths for biking, walking, and running already line much of the river area. Innovista's 8 million square feet will blend seamlessly with the Vista, the city's nearby entertainment district of restaurants, bars, shops, and art galleries.

Chartered in 1801, Carolina began classes in 1805 with nine students and a single building, Rutledge College. As the campus grew and buildings were added during the next 50 years, a horseshoe layout was adopted. Today, the Horseshoe is on the National Register of Historic Places, with 10 of its 11 buildings dating to the 19th century. Those renovated buildings house, among other areas, the South Carolina Honors College and Undergraduate Admissions, representing much of the University's current and future lifeblood.

In fact, incoming freshman classes have never been larger or more competitive. The freshmen from fall 2006 set records for their size (more than 3,700) and SAT scores (1171 average). Freshmen enrolling in the Honors College had average SAT scores of 1398. Members of the University's prestigious scholarship programs, Carolina Scholars for in-state students and McNair Scholars for out-of-state students, had average scores of 1449 and 1477, respectively. Total enrollment at Carolina for undergraduates and graduates is more than 27,300, with some 350 degree programs to choose from. Since 1994, Carolina students have earned more than $9.9 million in prestigious national scholarships such as the Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, and NSF scholarships and the Fulbright Fellowships.

South Carolina's student body is diverse. In fact, Carolina was recently recognized as the state flagship university with the highest percentage of African-American student enrollment in the nation. Research by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows African-American students made up 14.7 percent of enrollment in 2004, the latest year available. The JBHE also ranks Carolina eighth in the nation in percentage of African-American faculty at a state flagship university with 4.3 percent.

The University's faculty garnered a record $173.3 million in federal, state, and private funding for research, outreach, and training programs in 2005-06, and several key hiring plans will introduce more talent and expertise to the faculty ranks. An aggressive campus building master plan and the faculty recruiting initiatives will change the collective face of the University and the faces of many of its key teachers and researchers.

South Carolina is recruiting world-class faculty to be endowed chairs-and change agents-for a series of research centers of economic excellence in areas such as nanoelectronics, polymer nanocomposites, brain imaging, regenerative medicine, cancer therapeutics, drug discovery, vision research, hydrogen fuel cells, and travel and tourism technology. These centers, some in collaboration with other state research universities and health and hospital systems, are funded with $30 million annually in state lottery money, as well as private matching money. Carolina is in the midst of a faculty recruitment plan to hire 600 new members. The Faculty Excellence Initiative is recruiting 150 faculty, many in interdisciplinary clusters of emphasis, while the Centenary Plan will recruit 100 elite research faculty to lead the University's core initiatives. Additionally, 350 faculty will be hired across disciplines to replace retirees over the next few years.

The University has forged a number of international collaborations in research, and the University's global connections are also strong in academics, particularly in international business. U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the Moore School of Business best in the nation for its undergraduate and graduate programs in international business; the undergraduate program is No. 1 for the 10th consecutive time, while the graduate program is No. 1 among public universities for the 18th consecutive year and No. 2 overall, continuing a streak of 18 years with a top-two overall ranking.