Research Assistant - Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute/Department of Neuroscience

West Virginia University

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a Research Assistant in the Department of Neuroscience. This role involves setting up, operating, and maintaining laboratory instruments and equipment; designing and monitoring experiments, including animal studies; making observations; and calculating and recording results. The Research Assistant will manage the animal breeding colony, perform behavioral testing and analysis, and collect, process, stain, and analyze brain tissue. Basic laboratory management tasks such as monitoring inventory and assisting with ordering are also included. The incumbent will support students and senior scientists in laboratories and serve as a resource contact for neuroscience research. This position requires the use of professional concepts and organizational policies to solve a wide range of moderate to complex problems, demanding depth of skills, knowledge, interpretive abilities, and creativity. The work effort often addresses non-routine matters within guidelines and policies, with a significant impact on client services and operations, potentially producing moderate to major organizational, legal, and financial results or liabilities. Position duties require oversight of projects or programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience, Biology, Molecular Biology or a related field.
• A minimum of 0-6 months of work-related skills, knowledge or experience in a research lab is required.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.
• Strong skills at operating laboratory instrumentation.
• Strict attention to detail.
• Excellent skill in writing technical reports which are suitable for publication in professional journals.
• Skill in performing under the stress of frequent interruptions and/or distractions.
• Working knowledge of molecular biology, and biology.
• Working knowledge of laboratory protocols and procedures.
• Working knowledge of using laboratory equipment.
• Maintains skills in, or knowledge of, professional principles, legal and/or reporting requirements affecting area of responsibility.
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of the organization.
• Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference and volume.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
• Ability to evaluate best practices from reading literature and suggest modification to existing laboratory procedures.
• Ability to understand purpose of research project and suggest new experimental designs.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to both work well in groups and manage junior researchers.

Responsibilities

• Develops ideas for experimental design to be evaluated in laboratory meetings as is standard laboratory practice.
• Responsible for carrying out entire experiments or segments of experiments.
• Keeps detailed logs of all work-related activities.
• Conducts research or assists in the conduct of research, including RNA and DNA analysis, histological verification, and cell and tissue imaging.
• Participates in lab discussions of data and experimental procedures.
• Makes presentations in laboratory meetings.
• Monitors laboratory work to ensure compliance with set standards.
• Works with other laboratory personnel to design experiments.
• Isolates, identifies and prepares specimens for examination.
• Uses computers, computer-interfaced equipment, and robotics or high-technology industrial applications to perform work duties.
• Sets up, adjusts, calibrates, cleans, maintains, and troubleshoots laboratory and field equipment.
• Reads literature and suggests new methods or procedures.
• Assists in writing technical reports.
• Cleans, maintains, and prepares supplies and work areas.
• Maintains laboratory inventory and orders supplies as necessary.
• Maintains knowledge of professional principles, legal and/or reporting requirements affecting area of responsibility, and adheres to industry and government standards.
• Maintains compliance with animal research protocols.
• Assists with modifications to animal protocols and submissions of protocol renewals.
• Assists and/or follows direction of manager for professional development and to determine course of customer service.
• Design and monitor experiments, including animal studies.
• Make observations, and calculate and record results.
• Manage animal breeding colony.
• Perform behavioral testing and analysis.
• Collect, process, stain, and analyze brain tissue.
• Perform basic laboratory management tasks including monitoring inventory and assisting with ordering.
• Assist students and senior scientists in laboratories.
• Serve as a resource contact relative to neuroscience research.

Benefits

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 15 annual leave (vacation) days per year or more based on years of service (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you’re ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family’s, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6%25 employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks.
• Wellness programs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level