Research Associate I, Biological Sciences

University of Delaware•Newark, DE

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Research Associate I supports daily research activities in the Song Lab under the general direction and supervision of the Principal Investigators. The role emphasizes managing inventories, maintaining marine animal systems, and supporting research, including ongoing collaborative projects with the PI, postdoctoral researchers, and students. Responsibilities also include assisting with experimental analysis and interpretation, data collection and reporting, laboratory equipment and protocol upkeep, and safe, reliable execution of experiments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Developmental Biology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, RNA Biology, or a closely related discipline; alternatively, a related field with one year of laboratory experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Highly organized with attention to detail.
Hands-on bench experience, marine organism care, or equivalent upper-level academic laboratory coursework.
Basic proficiency in molecular biology techniques such as PCR, gel electrophoresis, and nucleic acid extractions.
Familiarity with standard office software, including MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Knowledge of the use and maintenance of laboratory facilities and/or equipment.
Knowledge of scientific approaches and methodologies.
Ability to understand, follow, and enforce safety procedures.
Ability to organize and coordinate scientific and/or engineering research projects and to develop and follow research methodology and protocols.
Ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and students.
Must use personal protective equipment to prevent exposure to hazardous materials.
With or without assistance, must be able to lift up to 20 lbs.
Requires dexterity in handling delicate and hazardous materials and sensitive laboratory equipment.
Must be able to accurately discern colors and measure laboratory reagents.
Must be able to work various and sometimes long hours due to experiment timing, including possibly holidays, weekends, and evenings.

Nice To Haves

Experience with, or willingness to learn, image processing using Zeiss Zen software and Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator and Photoshop.

Responsibilities

Assist Principal Investigators with analysis and interpretation of experimental results; collect and compile data and assist with statistical and narrative reports and graphs.
Maintain supply inventories, organize reagents and experimental protocols, and manage laboratory stock.
Maintain aquaria and care for live marine organisms used in research; maintain cultured cell lines as needed.
Work with the PI, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates on team experiments.
Assist with research projects by reading and synthesizing scientific literature to inform experimental design and troubleshooting.
Calibrate, set up, and maintain laboratory equipment; perform digital image processing; and ensure accurate data collection and record-keeping.
Comply with Department of Environmental Health and Safety, OSHA, and biohazard safety standards and promote workplace safety.
Maintain sophisticated laboratory tests and apparatus; perform and oversee experiments and data collection to ensure data integrity and protocol compliance.
Assist graduate and undergraduate students with good safety practices, particularly when monitoring their use of hazardous materials.
Use information from primary journal articles to conduct relevant experiments and interpret results.
Present experimental results to the faculty supervisor or lab group for discussion and future planning.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.