"Laboratory Technician - BMCB"

locations

UBC Off-Campus Hospital Sites

time type

Full time

posted on

Posted 3 Days Ago

job requisition id

JR18126

Staff - Non Union

Job Category

Non Union Technicians and Research Assistants

Job Title

Laboratory Technician - BMCB

Department

Center Operations staff | UBC James Hogg Research Centre | Faculty of Medicine (Claire Smits)

Posting End Date

August 8, 2024

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

Aug 31, 2025

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. 

Job Summary

The candidate will be responsible for performing the duties related to biobanking and management at the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation (HLI) as part of the Providence Research Biobank. For biobanking, you will be processing biospecimens and performing quality controls. For management duties: you will be assigned to be the coordinator of specific biobank users and correspond to their requests, from sample inquiry to invoice. As the biobanks at Providence Research continue to grow, you will be asked to develop new skills to improve the quality and efficiency of biobanking, including but not limited to clinical data review, patient engagement, basic computational, pathology, and molecular technique. This career development training will be guided by the Director of the Bruce McManus Cardiovascular Biobank, Dr. Ying Wang. You will not be directly involved in research activities (other than biobanking). The Director needs to be notified if any service request beyond your defined duties came up, and will consume time from your working hours. However, it is important to understand the downstream applications of samples being requested in order to improve the quality of biobanking. Each user’s project needs to be treated as confidential information. Initial duties and responsibilities will focus on the one of the biobanks at Providence Research, the Bruce McManus Cardiovascular Biobank (BMCB), but will evolve to include duties of benefit to other biobanks also under the Providence Research Biobank umbrella. 

Organizational Status

The candidate will work with BMCB manager Dr. Gurpreet Singhera.  The candidate will report directly to Dr. Ying Wang.  

The candidate will be working in the HLI located at St. Paul’s Hospital campus of the University of British Columbia.   Hazardous chemicals will be utilized, however all WCB safety regulations will be followed.

Work Performed

Guided by the Director

Perform quality control tests routinely and revising protocols when biobanking activities result in low sample quality/utilization. 

Develop strategies to improve biobanking efficiency and implement the plan.

Assist the Director

Generate biobank annual reports

Write funding applications for the biobank

Manage the communications between the biobank and academic users

Coordinate biobank affiliated patient and research cluster activities

Independently

Oversee all technical aspects of the biobank

Participate in regular meetings with the biobanking team

Be knowledgeable in all safety issues around the use and disposal of human tissues

Prepare reagents for tissue collection

Carry the OR pager to collect tissues from the operating room

Carry the pager (24 hour on call) on a rotational basis 

Archive tissues from the operating room

Storage and retrieval of clinical and research specimens

Collect data as needed and enter data in the biobank database

Assist designated users (when you are the assigned coordinator)

Initial sample inquiry and project registration

Collect administrative statistics (project tracking form) 

Keep track of samples requested, consumed, and returned.

Generate the invoice

Assist the Manager (when there is no time conflict with the above roles)

Obtain ethics consent from surgical patients to use their tissue in research

Establish a solid working relationship with operating room staff and physicians

Interviewing patients for the purpose of informed consent

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Work requires judgment and initiative.  Inability to perform tasks will impact negatively on individual projects and research groups as well as the Centre as a whole. Errors could seriously jeopardize the reputation of the research users, thus affecting the likelihood of obtaining support for the biobank.

Supervision Received

Direct supervision will be received from Dr. Ying Wang. The candidate is expected to work independently once the general guidance is given.  

Supervision Given

Supervision will be given to students and staff to utilize the portion of the facility that is multi-user. 

Minimum Qualifications

Completion of a relevant technical program or a university degree in a relevant discipline and a minimum three years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

BSc in a related science with 3 years of relevant experience

Knowledge of laboratory safety and techniques

Diligence, meticulousness and exceptional organizational skills are a must

Ability to work on a team is essential

Knowledgeable with computer and databases

The applicant will be able to work independently and communicate effectively with all levels of faculty, staff and trainees.  This includes both oral and written communication.

Ability to exercise tact, diplomacy and discretion

Ability to work with sensitive information and data in a discrete and professional manner