Research Assistant I, Levi Lab

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center•Dallas, TX

33d•Onsite

About The Position

The Levi Laboratory is located in the Department of Surgery at UT Southwestern and lead by the Principal Investigator, Dr. Benjamin Levi. The lab mission is to improve the lives of people living with skin and musculoskeletal diseases through rigorous science and compassion. The lab consists of 1500 square feet state-of-the-art laboratory space equipped with equipment to facilitate experiments and research with tissue cultures, small animal surgeries, and molecular biology. All lab members receive leadership training and coaching from Dr. Levi and other senior level lab personnel. Besides working hard, the Levi Lab will step away from the bench to give back to the community. The Levi Lab looking for a Research Assistant I to join the team and willing to commit to at least two years. The ideal candidate would perform functions that may include murine animal colony maintenance, designing and performing scientific experiments, analyzing, and interpreting results, following proper safety guidelines, and maintaining lab records/documentation. The Research Assistant I will work on ongoing scientific experiments, which may include tissue culturing, mouse handling, or PCR genotyping. The candidate must be proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The candidate also must be professional, responsible, organized, and dedicated, with strong interpersonal/team skill sets.

Requirements

Must be proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Must be professional, responsible, organized, and dedicated, with strong interpersonal/team skill sets.
Master's degree with major coursework in the field of assignment and no experience required or
Bachelor's degree with major coursework in the field of assignment and one year of research experience at the level of research technician or equivalent or
Two years of college with emphasis on coursework in the field of assignment and four years of research experience, including two years at the level of research technician or equivalent or
High school graduation or GED and six years of research experience that includes two years at the level of research technician or equivalent

Nice To Haves

Willing to commit to at least two years.
Able to utilize a variety of molecular biology techniques, including but not limited to PCR, qPCR, western blotting, RNA/DNA extraction, cloning, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, and next-generation sequencing.
Experience with animal handling and animal surgery.
Experience with single-cell transcriptomic analyses.
Experience with histology pipeline from tissue harvest to embedding, sectioning, staining, and confocal microscopy.
Excellent communication and organizational skills.
Able to perform data analysis and interpretation using bioinformatics tools, statistical methods, and relevant software packages.

Responsibilities

Animal breeding, genotyping, handling, and surgery
MicroCT on animal tissue as well as analysis
Flow cytometry and mass spectrometry
Histology pipeline from tissue harvest to embedding, sectioning, staining, and confocal microscopy
Perform more difficult scientific and medical research work in biology, chemistry, physics, or other related scientific field
Construct, assemble, and operate laboratory equipment and apparatus
Record and evaluate data obtained from work assignments for use in scientific papers
Collaborate with supervisor or other research personnel in preparation of scientific papers for publication; collaborate with other scientists outside of the laboratory and outside of UT Southwestern
Read literature and confer with supervisor concerning procedures and implementation
Collect and organize research data for project reports
Prepare and participate in both laboratory meetings and board meetings; participate in reading and writing club within the laboratory weekly
May plan for, and provide supervision of, the work of research technicians or other laboratory personnel of lower grade
Maintain accurate records of experimental procedures, observations, and results in laboratory notebooks and electronic databases
Collect, organize, and analyze experimental data using appropriate software tools and statistical methods
Maintain laboratory cleanliness and orderliness, including equipment maintenance and calibration
Adhere to laboratory safety protocols and regulatory guidelines to ensure a safe working environment
Performs more difficult scientific and medical research work in science area such as biology, chemistry, physics, or other related scientific field.
Constructs, assembles, and operates laboratory equipment and apparatus.
Records and evaluates data obtained from work assignments for use in scientific papers.
Collaborates with supervisor or other research personnel in preparation of scientific papers for publication.
Reads literature and confers with supervisor concerning procedures and implementation.
Collects and organizes research data for project reports.
May plan for, and provide working supervision to, work of Research Technicians or other laboratory personnel of lower grade.
Performs other duties as assigned.