Senior Basic Scientist - Division of Genetic Medicine & Clinical Pharmacology

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:

MED Genetic Medicine/Clinical Pharmacology

Job Summary:

Basic scientists focus on high-level scientific research and development, investigative experiments, data analysis, and formal data presentation. This position may include the expectation of necessary skills to manage the day-to-day operations of the laboratory and its personnel.

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DEPARTMENT SUMMARY

The Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology is a robust and dynamic division, innovating across its research and clinical missions to integrate genome variation and function to better define biological mechanisms of human disease.  

A leader in personalized medicine, the division aims to understand how basic molecular, biochemical and cellular processes are altered in various pathological conditions, seeking to identify novel therapeutic interventions for human diseases. 

The division is closely tied to the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, which leads the nation in mapping the complex interactions between our genome and human health.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Perform laboratory experiments and produce competent and reproducible results to a high technical standard
• Devise research methods, prepare technical specifications, and specify laboratory test equipment and processes
• Analyze data, and interpret and present results with minimal faculty supervision
• Design experiments and implement and standardize new processes and procedures based on expert knowledge of literature and subject matter
• Maintain detailed documentation and write formal scientific reports suitable for publication
• Prepare and/or maintain samples and specimens
• Manage laboratory personnel
• Maintain and operate standard laboratory equipment, including centrifuges, pipetting machines, spectrometers, ELISA readers, as well as specialized equipment necessary to support the laboratory
• Perform mathematical calculations and generate relevant statistics to support scientific output
• Prepare materials suitable for institutional review of formal protocols and operating procedures with minimal faculty supervision

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, Vanderbilt Health cultivates distinguished research and educational programs to advance a clinical enterprise that provides compassionate and personalized care and support for millions of patients and family members each year.

World-leading academic departments and comprehensive centers of excellence pursue scientific discoveries and transformational educational and clinical advances across the entire spectrum of health and disease.

Aligning with Vanderbilt Health’s Strategic Directions, the Office of Research provides shared research resources, administrative expertise and professional guidance to enable the trans-disciplinary environment and highly collaborative culture that advances discovery and training for all the research faculty, trainees, students and staff. 

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Delivers projects/assignments that have a direct impact on goals/objectives of the unit/department that the job is in. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Conducts extensive analysis of situations or data to resolve numerous, complex issues; may involve the input/work of others. Breadth of Knowledge: Has in-depth level of