Job Description

The Mishra Lab at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC in Roanoke, VA, is seeking a highly skilled Research Associate to support AHA-funded research programs focused on heart failure, cardiac remodeling, and cardiometabolic disease and perform Small-Animal Cardiovascular Surgery.

The primary responsibility of this position is the performance of mouse cardiovascular surgeries, including transverse aortic constriction (TAC), myocardial infarction (MI), ischemia-reperfusion injury, and related surgical models of cardiovascular disease. The individual will also assist with animal colony management, post-operative monitoring, echocardiography, physiological phenotyping, tissue collection, and general laboratory operations. The successful candidate should have exceptional technical expertise in rodent cardiovascular surgery, maintain detailed records, and be committed to high standards of animal welfare and scientific rigor.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s in Veterinary Sciences, Physiology, Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or a related field, or equivalent related experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in mouse cardiovascular surgery, including TAC, MI, and related cardiac injury models.
• Experience with perioperative care, animal monitoring, anesthesia, analgesia, and survival surgery techniques.
• Experience with mouse handling, colony management, tissue harvesting, and animal research protocols.
• Ability to maintain detailed surgical and experimental records.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to work independently.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend and stoop for long periods of time.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with pressure-volume loop analysis, telemetry, or other in vivo cardiovascular measurements.
• Experience working in cardiovascular, heart failure, or translational research laboratories.
• Veterinary training or certification in laboratory animal science is highly desirable.