Research Assistant 2

Oregon Health & Science University•Portland, OR

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Brenden-Colson Center for Pancreatic Care (BCCPC) is developing new detection methods and treatments for cancer. One way to do that is to create pre-clinical animal models that can be manipulated and tested. The purpose of this position is to assist in developing mouse models of pancreatic cancer and assess drug responses in those models. This includes mouse colony management and husbandry, tissue dissection, and genotyping. As a BCCPC team member, you will work in the lab to identify in vivo drug-response metrics that best predict drug responses in patients, helping to inform clinical care. You will be trained in growing primary cultures of tumor cells using advanced cell biology lab techniques, automated therapeutic screens, and histology techniques, as well as performing quantitative analysis of images, harvesting and processing mouse tissues, assisting in survival mouse surgeries, data entry/collection and laboratory housekeeping. You will be responsible for conducting some phases of projects independently and may help to design experiments. This position is not eligible for remote work.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in relevant field OR Associate's Degree AND 3 years of relevant experience OR 4 years of relevant experience OR Equivalent combination of training and experience
Strong organizational and communication skills
Ability to work under minimal supervision
Experience with cell biology laboratory techniques
Ability to work in a BSL-2
Ability to perform repetitive lab manipulations (gripping, grasping, reaching, twisting, computer data entry)
Move lab equipment under 25 lbs with accommodation
Personal protective equipment must be worn as required (gloves, mask/respirator, eyewear, lab coat, etc.)
Ability to ride the aerial tram and walk long distances across campus.
Ability to handle physical tissue/blood specimens including use of dry ice, liquid nitrogen storage, carrying packages for shipment.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s Degree in Bioscience
in-lab training
Animal handling
Computer skills
strong organizational abilities
excellent communication skills
strong data management skills
exceptional attention to detail
ability to multitask
ability to follow direction

Responsibilities

Maintain mouse colonies: breeding, animal husbandry and mouse colony management.
Perform animal procedures including injections, health checks, tumor or other measurements, administering drug by mouth, injections, surgery, tissue harvest, and tissue preparation following necropsy.
Perform in vivo experiments including cell culture, genotyping, immunohistochemical sample preparation and processing, cell isolation and DNA/RNA purification, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, and other biochemistry assays.
Perform preliminary interpretation of results to determine whether they are consistent with experimental goals.
Collect, record, organize and verify the accuracy of data, keeping detailed and accurate laboratory records; tabulate data, perform calculations, prepare charts, graphs and reports.
May assist with preparation of figures, tables and reports for publications and grants.
Assist in the daily operation of the lab including hazardous waste disposal, sterilization of equipment, cleaning glassware, general servicing of equipment and ordering lab supplies, and preparation of media and buffers.
Assist in design of research experiments and troubleshooting; attend lab meetings and present data; attend group meetings and seminars as relevant.
Other duties as assigned