Entry Laboratory Science Professional

University of Colorado•Aurora, CO

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Barber Entry Laboratory Science Professional will collaborate with and support the Principal Investigator (PI) and other stakeholders with laboratory and research functions, especially as it pertains to animal work and routine laboratory administration. They will utilize a variety of laboratory techniques required for research projects, perform experiments, and analyze research data; support analytical testing processes in the collection and review of conditions, including preserving samples, completing sample preparation, and documenting and communicating results. Specifically, they will support projects focused on neuroscience and mouse model research. The bulk of the required training will be provided on-the-job by our team members, but we appreciate candidates who have previous experience working with mice and/or working in a hands-on research setting. We are seeking an individual who will primarily work both with mice and at the bench and will interface with the whole research team. Our ideal candidate is excited to learn new skills and has completed recent coursework in a premedical or STEM field.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in biology, molecular biology, chemistry, genetics, or a related field.
A combination of education and related technical/military/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree on a year-for-year basis.
An advanced degree (Master's or Doctorate) may be substituted for experience on a year-for-year basis if the degree is in a field of study directly related to the work assignment.
Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship.
Must be willing and able to pass national criminal and sex offender background checks.
Must successfully pass a 10-panel drug screen through Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Knowledge of basic laboratory techniques including safety procedures and techniques.
Ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and orally.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees at all levels throughout the institution.
Outstanding customer service skills.
Knowledge of basic human anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology.
Ability to interpret and master complex research protocol information.
Science research background.
Basic computer and mathematics skills.
Proficient with Microsoft Office.
Strong organizational skills.
Ability to work under the direction of multiple investigators.
Ability to follow written and spoken directions.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience working in a research setting.
Prior experience or background within a hands-on research environment, especially in experimental or wet lab approaches.
Experience with laboratory animal handling, especially mice and particularly young pups.
Experience recording and analyzing ultrasonic vocalizations from young mice.
Experience making literature spreadsheets to understand the landscape of existing methods in translational research.
Experience with R, Python, or other coding software to analyze biological experimental data.
Experience with Primary Cell Culture.
Research experience or coursework on neuroscience.
Completed recent coursework in a premedical or STEM field.

Responsibilities

Perform Research Experiments and Maintain Mouse Research (60%) Colony Management: Maintenance of breeders and weanlings; euthanasias; monitoring sick/injured mice; weaning; genotyping or acquiring tissue for genotyping; ear tagging mice for identification; maintaining colony size to a reasonable amount based on needs; cage card requests; culling of mice; transferring mice to regular housing rooms and changing cage types.
Colony Paperwork: Maintenance of appropriate tracking of colony maintenance; creating a bi-weekly census of litters for appropriate labs; removing/adding mice as needed; updating mouse status based on breeding/lab personnel reservation/cage number/room change; updating genotypes as received from Transnetyx; purge of old animals to keep the database running smoothly; ensuring billing is correct.
Attend and actively participate in weekly lab meetings.
Protocol assistance and adding people to the protocol.
Complete a colony census once per month for their lab(s).
Breeder planning for their lab(s).
Provide services such as surgical assistance, hypoxia monitoring, and mouse behavior assessments; providing animal care related to research studies, as necessary.
Perform lab-based tasks, including but not limited to making solutions, sectioning mouse brains, mounting brain sections onto slides, staining slides, microscopy, and image analysis following pipelines as directed by Dr. Barber.
Perform pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical test processes and evaluate the results produced.
Regularly update written protocols, inventories, and lab notebooks to record and communicate experiments performed.
Execute Routine Lab Tasks (20%) Conduct biohazardous waste disposal, safety procedures, and laboratory equipment maintenance to support a clean and safe research environment, in compliance with CU Biosafety guidelines.
Maintain regular inventories of laboratory supplies and samples.
Provide protocol assistance and add people to the protocol as needed.
Prepare lab for daily operations, including stocking materials, equipment, safety, cleanliness, and related areas.
Pick up, transport, and maintain results, samples, documents, materials, and other items as needed.
Dispose of laboratory materials and samples using well-established guidelines and instructions.
Order laboratory supplies as needed and maintain working stocks of custom in-house reagents.
Review and implement lab support policies, practices, and programs to meet organizational, operational, and management needs.
Ensure compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations; receive guidance and direction or escalate when required.
Communicate Data Procedures, Results, and Next Steps (20%) Perform basic data quality checks on experimental data collected.
Troubleshoot issues in experimental results as needed, with the assistance of the supervisor.
Present experiments performed and data collected to team members at regular internal meetings, directly with the PI, and weekly lab meetings.
Coordinate meetings with lab personnel to communicate regularly and ensure their research needs are being met; being able to work with lab personnel to ensure mice are being used and not aging out; sending follow-up emails, when necessary, after meetings with lab personnel to make sure everything was clear; and working with lab personnel to make sure their needs are met.
Expansion of current knowledge—learning additional things, such as in-house genotyping, more about lines/experiments being done in the lab, and how to assist with those, and more about genetics and strain creation/breeding schemes.
Review, complete, and process logs, documents, databases, and related materials and information.
Respond to vendors and CU staff (core personnel, OLAR, etc.) promptly and courteously.
Provide support by researching issues and developing recommendations to resolve processes, units, and related issues.