Lead Animal Specialist - Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI)

Hackensack Meridian Health•Nutley, NJ

About The Position

The Lead Animal Technician Specialist will be responsible for the conduct of highly specialized and technically complex experiments using small animal models (rodents and rabbits) of infection with various bio-safety level 2 and 3 pathogens and provides technical oversight for the BSL-3 Labs. Studies will be carried out in Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL-2) and Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL-3) facilities and focus on infections via aerosol, intranasal, intraperitoneal, intravenous intradermal and subcutaneous routes; intraperitoneal, intramuscular, subcutaneous and intravenous injections of rodents, other small animals and USDA species such as rabbits with therapeutics and/or anesthesia; surgeries on anesthetized animals as experimentally needed; necropsy to isolate the organs; evaluate tissue burdens; isolation of single cell suspension from infected tissue. 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 39 labs, 200+ scientists and allied personnel supported by 78 NIH and DoD grants and more than 87 other grants and contracts. Areas of expertise include genomics, epigenetics, drug resistance, stem cell biology, drug discovery, diagnostics and biomarker development, rheumatology and pharmacology.

Requirements

Bachelor`s degree in a relevant science.
6 years of experience in work with animal infection models under Biosafety level 3 containment.
4 years of experience in animal surgery.
Comprehensive knowledge in Microbiology, Immunology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.
Excellent organization and record-keeping skills.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are critical.
Candidates must enroll and be given clearance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS) Security Risk Assessment.
Must retain clearance to work with HHS Tier 1 Select Agents and be enrolled in the Select Agent Program Personnel Reliability Program.

Nice To Haves

CDC approved for work with select agents.
AALAS certification (Amer Assoc for Lab Animal Scientists).

Responsibilities

Leads various research and technical operations relative to ongoing projects to bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens (Evaluation of therapeutics, development of novel diagnostics and studies in pathogenesis and virulence).
Performs advanced surgical procedures on research animals under full anesthesia. 3. Application of emergency procedures to study animals at own judgement.
Monitors health of critical study animals including USDA species and direct reporting to PI and attending veterinarian.
Ensures regulatory compliance of study team to CDC guidelines, IACUC protocols and IBC protocols during day-to-day operation.
Oversees breeding of rodents.
Monitors usage and inventory of DEA controlled substances.
Organizes and/or optimizes experimental workflow of study team.
Prepares BSL-2 and BSL-3 pathogen cultures.
Facilitates analysis of host immune response using Flow cytometry and other immunological methods
Trains new personnel to work under high level biocontainment. This includes basic laboratory bench work and animal studies.
Ensures that the staff are trained and evaluated on their knowledge of and adherence to compliance policies and procedures specific to their jobs.
Understands and adheres to 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.
Lifts and handles laboratory animals and feed/equipment up to 50 pounds.
Other duties and/or projects as assigned. 17. Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.