Research Associate - Tucker Lab

University of Iowa • Iowa City, IA

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The University of Iowa Health Care Department of Visual Sciences is seeking a 100% Research Associate. This position will serve as a member of a multidisciplinary laboratory focused on developing cellular and gene replacement therapies to treat patients with inherited retinal disease. The role involves overseeing the day-to-day maintenance activities of the Tucker Laboratory and manufacturing AAV and lentiviruses for lab use.

Requirements

• Practical or academic knowledge of advanced laboratory procedures and the ability to translate, adapt and apply this knowledge, generally associated with a Bachelor’s degree and 3+ years of experience working in an academic research environment.
• Ability to perform aseptic cell culture technique to maintain human iPSC and iPSC-derived retinal cell and RPE cultures.
• Ability to carry out standard molecular biology and biochemical techniques (e.g., nucleic acid and protein isolation from human and animal tissue samples, PCR/qPCR, and Western blot), common cell biology techniques (e.g., immunocytochemistry/immunohistochemistry), and tissue culture techniques (i.e., establishing and maintaining human iPSCs).
• Demonstrated ability at managing laboratory equipment and inventory.
• Must maintain detailed laboratory notes and be highly organized.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with maintaining human iPSCs and differentiating retinal cells with xeno-free protocols.
• Ability to generate viral transgene expression plasmids, read Sanger sequencing and use DNA analysis software.
• Prior experience producing and purifying AAVs and/or lentiviruses.

Responsibilities

• Manufacture AAV and lentiviruses for use in the lab, including following SOPs for cloning, plasmid preparation, transfection and purification of viral products, performing release testing, and maintaining a log/inventory of vectors produced.
• Maintain and differentiate human iPS cell lines for studying disease progression, including performing cell culture under aseptic technique and following standardized protocols for iPSC maintenance and retinal cell and RPE differentiation.
• Responsible for laboratory inventory, including electronic inventory management system (eLab), consumables ordering requests, and equipment repair and maintenance requests.
• Perform day-to-day lab tasks such as thawing, cleaning, and organizing cold storage units, scheduling repair/maintenance visits, cleaning and autoclaving lab dishes, aliquoting and inventorying antibodies, stocking supplies, and store runs.
• Pay close attention to detail.

What This Job Offers

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