O'Connor Lab Research Specialist

Job Summary

We are seeking a Research specialist to join the O'Connor Lab's environmental surveillance team and perform sample processing for a new study conducted in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Jonathan Temte, founder of the Oregon Child Absenteeism due to Respiratory Disease Study (ORCHARDS) program at UW-Madison. ORCHARDS investigates the causes of child absenteeism from school, and the addition of household air sampling provides a new window onto respiratory viral transmission within the home. During the 2026-2027 school year, paired clinical swab and air samples will be collected from participants with respiratory viral infections across up to 200 households and delivered to our laboratory for intake, processing, sequencing, and analysis.

The successful candidate will work alongside a PhD scientist to understand the data collected from this project, organize and process samples, develop new molecular analyses, and evaluate and publicize the results of the project. Responsibilities include coordinating and executing sample processing for both clinical swabs and air samples, running downstream molecular biology assays, and analyzing data to identify the respiratory pathogens present in each participating household. While many of the techniques are already used by the lab, this person will work with a PhD scientist to create and validate assays designed to quantify pathogen nucleic acids in air and clinical samples. The research specialist will also work closely with the PhD scientist to refine and implement improved techniques for sequencing and data analysis. Scientific work will be performed under the guidance of the PhD scientist and principal investigators, as well as in partnership with the broader environmental surveillance team. The successful candidate will also need to demonstrate effective scientific decision-making skills, a thorough understanding of the theoretical and practical background of the project, and develop and implement novel techniques independently under the supervision of the PhD scientist.

In addition to bench and method-development work, the research specialist will manage the organization and processing of the samples for the study, tracking thousands of samples through multi-step workflows, maintaining timelines and deliverables for our program. The research specialist will also contribute to data analysis, manuscript preparation, and other lab projects as needed, and will maintain rigorous records and documentation. Regular work with human clinical swab samples is expected. Because the labs communicate extensively in writing with one another and with collaborators, outstanding written and verbal scientific communication skills are essential.

* This position requires work to be completed onsite, at a designated campus work location

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Participates in the development, interpretation, and implementation of research methodology and materials
• Operates, cleans, and maintains organization of research equipment and research area. Tracks inventory levels and places replenishment orders
• Provides operational guidance on day-to-day activities of unit or program staff and/or student workers
• Receives and organizes samples, maintains electronic experiments, and spreadsheets
• Performs literature reviews and writes reports
• Reviews, analyzes, and interprets data and/or documents results for presentations and/or reporting to internal and external audiences
• Conducts research experiments according to established research protocols with moderate impact to the project(s). Collects data and monitors test results