UNIV - Research Specialist I - Department of Neurosciences

Job Description Summary

A laboratory in the Department of Neuroscience focused on understanding mechanisms associated with alcohol addiction is recruiting a technician to provide support in their ongoing studies. The job duties involve planning and carrying out routine experiments and techniques. This encompasses the organization and performance of behavioral studies in rats and mice, oversight of regulatory and compliance issues, and standard operating protocol implementation and development. Studies include behavioral research including voluntary alcohol drinking, as well as behavioral testing using models of stress, anxiety and aggression. In addition, the position will involve resource allocation (behavior room scheduling), rodent surgery, immunohistochemistry and microscopy for examination of rodent brain tissue, and viral vector injection into rodent brain and handling of BSL2 biohazards. The technician will also be required to handle rodents and maintaining animal colonies.

Entity

Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC - Univ)

Worker Type

Employee

Worker Sub-Type​

Research Grant

Cost Center

CC000984 COM NEURO RES Operations CC

Pay Rate Type

Hourly

Pay Grade

University-GEN06

Pay Range

37,200.00 - 48,300.00 - 59,500.000

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Work Shift

Job Description

Job Duties

 

30% - Perform various experimental procedures including, but not limited to, executing behavioral protocols (testing mice on cognitive tasks) and alcohol self-administration studies, administering drugs by various routes of administration (injection, inhalation, infusion), preparing drugs and solutions, conducting stereotaxic surgery to implant chronic indwelling cannula in mice for long-term recordings or behavioral manipulations, facilitate data collection for fiber photometry and in vivo electrophysiology studies from mice during tasking measuring cognition, alcohol drinking, and anxiety-like behaviors.

 

20% - Perform various procedures for tissue and fluid specimen collection (e.g., brain slicing, brain extraction, blood collection), wet lab techniques including western immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, RNA extraction and PCR, advanced microscopy techniques including confocal and light sheet microscopy in rodent brain tissue, and 3D image analysis using Imaris and other analytical software.

20% - Administrative duties include lab organization and cleaning of working benchtops, supply ordering, animal ordering and inventory, coordinate and manage the behavioral testing rooms and animal breeding colony, maintain and schedule service for laboratory equipment, and perform daily animal husbandry activities to maintain the health of animals in support of the research program and according to regulatory policies.

 

15% - Preparation and oversight of laboratory standard operating procedures (SOPs) and IACUC/IBC protocols, including writing and editing of laboratory procedures and submitting amendments to the IACUC/IBC protocols. Responsible for data management, including the collection, organization, and maintenance of behavioral and biological data sets within laboratory notebooks, servers and online document storage devices, as well as graphing and statistical analysis of data. 

 

10% - Prepare, coordinate and manage studies and equipment access across all laboratory staff (technicians, students, postdocs, PIs) – this includes planning and communicating effectively. Maintain online scheduling calendars for equipment and room use.

 

5% - Supervise staff and maintain regulatory compliance by ensuring that staff follow standard laboratory procedures.

Additional Knowledge, skill, ability preferred

Prior experience in preclinical rodent research is preferred, but not mandatory.

 

Guideline and Supervision

The candidate will be directly supervised by the Principal Investigator and other senior lab personnel

Additional Job Description

Minimum Requirements: A high school diploma and two years work experience in a clinical or research setting; a bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology, or other natural, life or health care science may be substituted for the two years of required experience.

Physical Requirements: (Note: The following descriptions are applicable to this section: Continuous - 6-8 hours per shift; Frequent - 2-6 hours per shift; Infrequent - 0-2 hours per shift) Ability to perform job functions in an upright position. (Frequent) Ability to perform job functions in a seated position. (Continuous) Ability to perform job functions while walking/mobile. (Frequent) Ability to climb, using step stool. (Infr