Research Assistant

Oregon Health & Science University • Portland, OR

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Mello (Dept. Behavioral Neuroscience) and von Gersdorff (Vollum) labs collaborate on NIH and NSF-funded projects to study the neurobiology of vocal learning in zebra finches. They utilize molecular, neuroanatomical, behavioral, electrophysiological, and computational methods to understand the brain circuitry enabling complex learned songs and how birds learn vocal-motor patterns guided by auditory feedback, similar to human speech acquisition. This entry-level Research Assistant position involves assisting with zebra finch colony husbandry, song recording and analysis, basic histological and molecular biology tasks, viral injections into zebra finch brains, post-recording brain slice processing for cell morphometry and imaging, and general laboratory management.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in relevant field; OR Associate's AND 3 years of relevant experience; OR 4 years of relevant experience; OR Equivalent combination of training and experience.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's Degree in Neuroscience, Molecular Biology or Cell Biology.
• Undergraduate research experience in areas like neuroscience, molecular biology, molecular genetics.
• Computer and data management skills.
• Attention to detail, strong organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to multitask and follow direction.
• Animal handling skills.
• Experience with histology, including tissue cryosectioning and staining.
• Experience with basic molecular tasks (plasmid preps, PCR, agarose gels, etc).

Responsibilities

• Manage husbandry of the zebra finch colony during breeding, post-surgical and/or custom diet protocols.
• Help record and analyze zebra finch songs from normal and experimental birds.
• Perform support histological tissue processing and basic molecular biology tasks, including brain cryosectioning, staining, and probe synthesis and processing for in situ hybridization.
• Assist with viral preps and stereotaxic viral injections of zebra finch brains.
• General laboratory management including handling of purchases and inventories.
• Assist other lab members in performing experiments and troubleshooting, attend lab meetings and present data, other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Opportunities to learn and advance in a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and Southwest Washington.
• OHSU welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, national origins, religions and sexual orientations.
• Striving to build an anti-racist, multicultural institution and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees