Lab Technician/Summer Intern

Overview

Dr. Prateek Sharma is looking for a qualified undergrad student intern for the summer 2024 who is interested in participating in various projects in his lab. Dr. Sharma works in the Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science department in College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences (See Dr. Sharma’s profile https://caas.usu.edu/directory/sharma-prateek ). Dr. Sharma has more than 15 years of multinational industrial R&D experience working for companies in Ireland, New Zealand, India and the US. Dr. Sharma has number of funded projects from multiple funding agencies including, USDA, NSF, National Dairy council, BUILD dairy program (https://builddairy.com/) in the area of cheese chemistry and technology, food rheology, powder rheology, dairy powder characterization, dairy foods material science.

Dr. Sharma’s lab is equipped to conduct material testing on dairy foods. The lab is specialized in rheological, textural, and functional characterization of liquids, gels, and solids dairy foods. Equipment available in the lab include two air bearing Anton Paar MCR 302 rheometers, Litesizer (Anton Paar) nano-particle size and zeta potential analyzer, micron size particle size analyzer (Anton Paar) for liquids and solid materials, Metrohm 888 and 867 titrando, TAXT plus texture analyzer, viscometer, rapid protein and moisture analyzer, compound microscope, gel electrophoresis equipment, LC-MS, Ultracentrifuge, stomacher, calcium ion activity meter, etc.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to engage in the research projects in the following areas under the guidance of Dr. Sharma and his Post doc/PhD/master’s students.

• Viscoelastic characterization of dairy matrices
• Cheese sliceability and wear behavior
• Dairy powder characterization- particle and bulk characteristics
• Composition analysis of dairy products
• Dairy protein characterization using electrophoretic and chromatographic techniques.
• In-vitro digestion of dairy proteins.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

Highly motivated for research, have some experience working in the laboratory.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Be organized

Detail-oriented

Ability to work well with others

Additional Information:

Training will be provided to the candidates.

Time commitment is approximately 25-29 hours per week for the summer 2024.

Based upon performance, student interns may get a chance to present their work in regional and national scientific conferences.

Required Documents

Along with the online application, please attach:

Resume to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV” 

Cover letter to be typed/pasted at the end of your application  

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Advertised Salary

$17.00 per hour

ADA

Employees work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes.  The employee is regularly required to sit and often uses repetitive hand motions. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms and may lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. 

University Highlights

Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah’s premier land-grant and space-grant university, with a strong commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion. USU serves approximately 27,500 students throughout the state at three residential campuses, eight statewide campuses, and 23 education centers. USU Online has served students from all 50 states and 55 countries for over 25 years, and USU Extension provides outreach and service to all counties in Utah.  

 

As a land-grant university, USU engages communities and empowers people to lead successful lives of involvement, innovation, and impact. As an R1 research institution, USU provides a high-quality undergraduate and graduate education at an affordable price. Washington Monthly has consistently ranked USU in the top 10 among public universities for contribution to social mobility, research, and public service.  

 

Utah State is committed to cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where different perspectives, values, cultures, and identities are acknowledged, welcomed, and valued. We seek to recruit, hire, and retain people from all walks of life who will champion excellence in education, research, discovery, outreach, and service. We believe that promoting a strong sense of community and belonging empowers and engages all members of USU to thrive and be successful. Learn more about USU. 

 

The university provides a Dual Career Assistance Program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment. Additionally, USU is committed to providing access and