Lab Technician, Fins and Limbs Lab - Biology
About The Position
The Fins and Limbs Lab at the University of Virginia is seeking a Laboratory Technician to support research on the functional morphology and comparative biomechanics of fish and salamanders under the supervision of Dr. Sandy Kawano. The candidate will contribute towards a collaborative research grant awarded by the Keck Foundation on “Integrating 3D technology, engineering, and biology to provide new insights into the evolutionary transition from water to land in vertebrates”, with the goal of disentangling the roles of environment (aquatic, amphibious, terrestrial) and morphology (fin vs. limb) in governing the ability of bones to adapt to the physical demands of locomotion. The position would involve laboratory support (e.g., inventory, standard operating procedures, maintaining data and metadata), overseeing the husbandry of an animal care facility for fishes and amphibians, and contributing towards research activities related to on-going work in the lab. Candidates who demonstrate significant progress on their research may have the option to lead and present the project at professional conferences, with funding provided to cover travel and registration expenses. The candidate will gain or advance skills in 3D kinematics, 3D kinetics, electromyography, mechanical property testing, and micro-CT segmentation to help determine the mechanical requirements to walk on land. Micro-CT scanning and other portions of the research activities will be conducted at Mountain Lake Biological Station, one of UVA’s field stations in Southwestern VA, particularly during the summer months. Funding is available to present at professional conferences.
Requirements
- Associate's degree required; may accept equivalent combination of experience, education, certification in lieu of degree.
- 2+ years of lab experience which may include student experience.
Nice To Haves
- Bachelor’s degree in biology, zoology, engineering, or related field
- Experience in writing and supervising protocols approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
- Expertise in the care and use of fish and amphibians in research environments.
- Familiarity with writing basic scripts in computer programs (particularly R and/or LabVIEW).
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- Experience in other skills aligned with the research interests of the lab, such as DICECT, (micro-)CT segmentation software, muscle physiology, etc.
Responsibilities
- Assist the supervisor in managing the animal care facility and associated research assistants.
- Maintain lab inventory, equipment, and other operations
- Process, segment, and analyze micro-CT scans.
- Assist with running laboratory experiments and analyses directly related to the position.
- Run computer code (e.g., R, LabVIEW, Python) as needed for research projects.
- Maintain accurate and detailed records of data and metadata.
- Train other lab members in the research techniques used in current lab projects.
- Assist the supervisor in preparing, editing, and executing standard operating procedures for common laboratory techniques.
- Assist the supervisor and other lab members with preparing research products (e.g., presentations at professional conferences, publications in peer-reviewed journals), as needed.
- Other related duties may also be assigned
Benefits
- Full-time benefited position
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
Associate degree
