Animal Specialist - Center for Discovery & Innovation (CDI)

Hackensack Meridian Health • Nutley, NJ

11d • $21

About The Position

The Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) is recruiting an Animal Technician Specialist with strong in vivo expertise to support drug discovery programs under the supervision of Matthew Zimmerman and Véronique Dartois. At CDI, you will play a hands-on role in the fight against some of the world’s most challenging infectious diseases — including tuberculosis, multidrug-resistant bacteria, and virusesof pandemic concern. As part of a collaborative, mission-focused team, you’ll contribute directly to preclinical drug discovery programs that aim to save lives globally. The Animal Technician Specialist will assist with: ● Drug profiling pharmacokinetics (PK) in rodents and drug toxicity/tolerability studies. ● Drug efficacy models in rodents for multiple biosafety level pathogens (ABSL-2 and ABSL- 3), including Mycobacterium species, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii, followed by drug treatment and efficacy evaluation. Additional responsibilities include organ homogenization and plating, agar plate preparation, organ processing for histology (formalin fixation, slicing, H&E staining, and slide scanning), and data collection and animal monitoring. A strong commitment to animal welfare, biosafety, and ethical research conduct is essential. The Center for Discovery and Innovation- CDI was established by Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) as an academic basic and translational research enterprise to rapidly translate science innovation to the clinic and to improve outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune disease and other acute and chronic diseases. The CDI has grown rapidly since its origins in 2019, and now has 32 labs, 190 scientists and allied personnel supported by 60 NIH grants and more than 30 other grants and contracts. Areas of expertise include genomics, epigenetics, drug resistance, immunology and immunotherapy, stem cell biology, drug discovery, diagnostics and biomarker development, and pharmacology.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant science or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in work with rodent models under Biosafety level 2 containment and/or relevant equivalent work experience.
• Basic knowledge in Microbiology, Immunology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.
• Good organization and record-keeping skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills..
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient computer skills that may include but are not limited to Microsoft Office and/or Google Suite platforms.

Nice To Haves

• CDC approved for work with select agents.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in work with animal infection models under Biosafety level 3 containment.
• AALAS certification (American Association for Lab Animal Scientists).

Responsibilities

• Assists with performing various research and technical operations relative to lab specific projects. Specifically, procedures include, but are not limited to, the administration of drugs and discovery compounds to mice via various routes, mouse infection via intranasal, intravenous or aerosol routes, and sampling of organs for drug and burden quantification, and immunopathology studies.
• Assist with preparation of BSL-2 and/or BSL-3 pathogen cultures.
• Sets-up, maintains, sterilizes, and decontaminates the devices for aerosol infection, homogenizer, and other equipment.
• Autoclave waste materials and clean biosafety cabinets and equipment.
• Understands and adheres to Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) CDI compliance standards.
• Keeps abreast of all pertinent federal and state regulations, laws and policies as they presently exist and as they change or are modified.
• Lifting and handling of laboratory animals and feed/equipment up to 50 pounds.
• Other duties and/or projects as assigned.
• Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees