Research Assistant

Marshall University • Huntington, WV

13d • Onsite

About The Position

The Sidarala Laboratory is seeking a highly motivated Research Assistant to join a dynamic research program focused on understanding how mitochondrial dynamics regulates pancreatic β-cell function, aging, and diabetes. The successful candidate will contribute to projects investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes using cutting-edge molecular biology and imaging approaches. This position is ideal for individuals interested in gaining extensive research experience before pursuing graduate, medical, or professional school, or for candidates seeking a career in biomedical research. Outstanding candidates will have opportunities to co-author peer-reviewed publications and present research at regional and national scientific meetings.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or a closely related field
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to maintaining accurate research records
• Willingness to learn new laboratory techniques

Nice To Haves

• Experience with one or more of the following is desirable but not required:
• Experience working with laboratory mice, including animal handling and husbandry
• Experience managing transgenic or knockout mouse colonies, including breeding strategies and colony record keeping
• Familiarity with mouse genotyping techniques, including DNA extraction and PCR
• Experience with in vivo procedures such as injections, blood collection, metabolic phenotyping, or tissue harvesting
• Experience with pancreatic islet isolation or other tissue dissection techniques
• Experience with mammalian cell culture and molecular biology techniques, including PCR , qPCR, Western blotting, or cloning
• Familiarity with immunofluorescence microscopy or confocal microscopy

Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain mouse colonies, including colony organization, record keeping, and health monitoring
• Establish breeding schemes and genotyping workflows to generate experimental mouse cohorts
• Assist with and perform in vivo studies, including animal handling, injections, metabolic phenotyping, glucose and insulin tolerance tests, blood and tissue collection, and other physiological assessments (training provided as needed)
• Perform pancreatic islet isolations from mice (training provided as needed)
• Perform molecular biology techniques including DNA / RNA extraction, PCR , qPCR, cloning, and genotyping
• Conduct biochemical assays including Western blotting, ELISA , insulin secretion assays, and enzyme activity measurements
• Prepare laboratory reagents and solutions, maintain laboratory equipment, manage inventory, and ensure compliance with laboratory safety procedures
• Organize, analyze, and maintain accurate records of experimental data using electronic laboratory notebooks
• Participate in laboratory meetings and contribute to manuscript preparation and grant applications as appropriate

What This Job Offers

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