Research Support Assistant

About Fordham:

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering an exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to more than 16,000 students in its nine colleges and schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in West Harrison, N.Y., the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre in the United Kingdom.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement plans; life insurance; short and long-term disability; employee assistance program (EAP); tuition remission; and generous time off.

Successful candidates should have a knowledge of and commitment to the goals of Jesuit Education.

Department:

Biology

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Principal Investigator, the Research Support Assistant will conduct and assist in experiments aimed at understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders using the mouse as a model system. The lab uses a variety of experimental approaches, including: electrophysiology, fiber photometry, optogenetics, quantitative behavioral analysis, and fluorescence microscopy.

This position requires a STEM background and an interest in neuroscience.

We are interested in hiring a proactive individual who is willing to learn new experimental approaches and is eager to support current lab operations. The successful applicant will have opportunities to conduct his/her own experiments and participate in the intellectual environment of the lab and the department.

This is a one-year term position.

Essential Functions:

• Performs stereotaxic surgical procedures on mice.
• Performs drug administration and postsurgical care.
• Executes behavioral assays of mouse behavior, including motor function, motivation, food intake, and drug reward.
• Processing of brain tissue for immunohistochemical analysis.
• Acquires, processes, and performs quantification of images obtained by fluorescence microscopy.
• Analysis of data using statistical techniques and software.
• Performs molecular biology procedures such as nucleic acid extraction, conventional PCR and real-time PCR, expression vector subcloning, Western Blot.
• Prepares buffers and solutions for experiments.
• Assists with ordering of lab supplies, maintain inventory of reagents and supplies.
• Keeps detailed records and report and discuss progress of work regularly with project supervisor and Principal Investigator.
• Facilitates lab compliance with institutional policies focused on lab safety and animal care.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a biological science.
• Minimum six months experience in the handling of laboratory mice.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in mouse behavioral testing.
• Experience in a research lab focused on brain circuit-based analysis of behavior, i.e. stereotaxic surgeries, viral expression of proteins of interest, behavioral analysis, immunohistochemistry, fluorescence microscopy.