Research Assistant

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center:  Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

Hearing And Speech

Job Summary:

In you pivotal role as Research Assistant (RA), you will work on a project investigating normal hearing and hearing loss in macaque monkeys. Your duties will include, but not be limited to: participation in behavioral and/or physiological experiments, training animals for various behavioral tasks, data analysis, timely data entry, maintenance of neat and orderly records, handling of macaques, environmental enrichment, and other duties necessary for functioning of the laboratory. You must demonstrate a willingness to multitask and learn more advanced technical skills as required. You also should be able to participate in the day-to-day operations of studies (data collection and analysis).
You will need excellent communication skills, and large amounts of patience, and you should be willing to work occasional overtime, which may include some weekends and holidays. You will also participate in training and occupational health and safety programs. You must be able to effectively follow complex oral and written instructions, as well as demonstrate the ability to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) and/or create new SOPs, and to interact with other personnel in a professional and courteous manner.

REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience)
Willingness to work with animals, specifically monkeys.
Ability to lift up to 65 pounds

PREFERRED:
Programming/engineering experience
Experience/familiarity with MATLAB
The ideal applicant will have previous experience with electrophysiology, or programming, or working with animals/nonhuman primates, and an interest in research. Enthusiasm for working closely with monkeys is necessary.

WORK HOURS:
You generally will work a flexible 8-hour shift between the hourse of 7AM-5:30PM, Mon-Fri, though as stated above, there will be occasions when you will be asked to work ovetime to include weekends and holidays.

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The Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center has served Middle Tennessee and beyond since 1951. We diagnose and treat hearing, speech, language and cognitive problems that affect communication in adults and children. Our team of more than 100 experts includes audiologists, speech-language pathologists, teachers of the deaf, occupational therapists, physical therapists and social workers. We offer every patient compassionate, personalized care. Additionally, Bill Wilkerson is a teaching site for deaf educators, audiologists, speech-language pathologists and physical therapists.  For more information, please visit https://www.vanderbilthealth.com/service-line/hearing-and-speech.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Under supervision, run experiments, assays, and record results
• Read and follow experimental protocols (May include animal handling, tissue culture, etc.)
• Compile and communicate results to supervisor
• Follow University safety protocols (may include use of combustibles, radioactivity, toxic material, and/or carcinogenics)
• Perform calculations involving molarity, % solutions, and serial dilutions
• Prepare and operate equipment in experimental procedures
• May include blood gas analyzer, centrifuge, pH meter, spectrophotometer, autoclave, scintillation counter, electrophoresis unit, analytical balance, etc.
• Maintain and repair equipment according to manufacturer and university guidelines.
• Ensure Laboratory is prepared for experiments
• Maintain inventories,
• Maintain sterile conditions as required
• Prepare reagents
• Clean equipment.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES

Our Academic Enterprise is one of the nation’s longest serving and most prestigious academic medical centers. Through its historic bond with Vanderbilt University and integral role in the School of Medicine, Vander