Research Associate - MiND iPSC & Screening Platform

Van Andel Institute

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The West Michigan Neurodegenerative Diseases (MiND) Program at Van Andel Institute (VAI) is seeking to hire a full-time Research Associate to be a key part of our Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) & Screening Platform. This research associate will work with MiND Program Director, Dr. Erin Williams, to support the continued development of the MiND Program’s high-content imaging platform and to help establish well-defined pipelines for culturing, reprogramming, and differentiating patient-derived human iPSCs. Both platforms will enable researchers at VAI to study living human brain cells to dissect key neurodegenerative disease phenotypes and mechanisms.

Requirements

Master’s or doctoral degree in biological sciences, focusing on neuroscience, biochemistry, cell biology, and/or molecular biology, or related biomedical fields
2-5 years of hands-on biology-related experience at the lab bench
Good oral and written communication skills
Excellent organizational skills
A hardworking individual who can work independently and in a team environment

Nice To Haves

Experience with cell culture, specifically iPSCs
Gene-editing experience using CRISPR-Cas9 technology
Experience working with standard molecular and cell biology techniques
Experience with fluorescent confocal microscopy and image analysis
Knowledge of molecular biology, cell biology, and/or neuroscience

Responsibilities

Culturing, reprogramming, differentiating, and general maintenance of human iPSCs under sterile conditions
Characterizing human iPSC cultures using various cellular and molecular biology techniques (biochemical analysis, molecular cloning, plasmid preparation, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, confocal microscopy, etc.)
Train researchers on how to work with iPSCs, including training on maintenance and differentiation of human iPSCs
Support the high-content imaging platform by designing and performing phenotypic screens, using gene-editing technology and small molecule libraries, on a variety of cell types, including iPSCs and live cells
Use AI/machine learning-based software to characterize and quantify existing and novel disease phenotypes in iPSC-based models
Work in close partnership with the MiND NeuroGenomes & Brain Bank initiatives to understand new genetic variants associated with neurodegenerative disease
Upkeep of laboratory equipment (tissue culture hoods, incubators, microscopes, etc.)
Organization and upkeep of lab databases