Research Specialist (Department of Ophthalmology)

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Posted Job Title

Research Specialist (Department of Ophthalmology)

Job Profile Title

Research Specialist A

Job Description Summary

The newly established Penn Medicine Center for Genetics of Complex Disease seeks to elucidate the genetics of diseases that disproportionately affect understudied populations. The Center is led by Director Joan O’Brien, MD, Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania, and is funded in part by the Primary Open-Angle African American Glaucoma Genetics (POAAGG) Study. This multi-year study, funded by two R01 grants from the National Eye Institute totaling $17.8M, seeks to understand the genetic architecture of glaucoma. This disease is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world today and overaffects African ancestry individuals. Our team has enrolled more than 10,250 African ancestry individuals from Philadelphia since 2010. We are now analyzing genetic data and beginning to re-contact families to screen for risk variants and high polygenic risk scores. More information on the Center and its publications can be found here.

We are seeking a highly motivated, organized, and detail-oriented Research Specialist. The Research Specialist will assist with experiments related to the genetics of glaucoma and other diseases that over affect African ancestry populations. This individual will plan and conduct basic experiments to meet research project aims; assist in performing laboratory experiments and clinical studies, including re-contacting patients with genetic variants for blood collection; and provide management of laboratory tools, documentations, and processes to ensure regulatory compliance and timely completion of project/program deliverables. There will be opportunities for collaboration on research projects with glaucoma specialists and biostatisticians, as well as experience with manuscript writing. This position will function as part of a multidisciplinary team and will report to the Research Project Manager C.

Job Description