Research Biological Science Laboratory Technician (Without Compensation)

Veterans Health Administration•Bronx, NY

11h

About The Position

This position serves as a Without Compensation Research Biological Laboratory Technician (Animal) within the Office of Research and Development (ORD). The VA Research Program works to promote Veteran-centered care, improve patient experiences and outcomes across VA healthcare and community settings, and advance value-driven care by providing Veterans high-quality care at the lowest financial burden. The position is unpaid and has an intermittent work schedule. The technician performs laboratory procedures involving biospecimen handling and storage; nucleic acid and protein preparation; molecular biology, cell culture, viral vector, CRISPR/Cas9, and flow cytometry techniques; rodent husbandry, genotyping, and experimental procedures; and sample preparation and analysis. The role also includes use of specified computer software, general laboratory organization and maintenance, and hazardous waste handling and disposal.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required.
Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
Applicants are subject to a background/security investigation.
Selected applicants must complete online onboarding and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel.
Meet the qualifications by the announcement closing date of 11/02/2026 through one of the listed pathways: specialized experience, education, or a combination of education and experience.
Specialized experience pathway: at least one year of full-time duties performing and/or assisting with laboratory experiments listed in the major duties; prior biomedical research activity involving stress signaling in eukaryotes; and authorship on research manuscripts reflecting meaningful contributions through direct participation in planning, execution, and completion of research objectives for a program.
Education pathway: successful completion of a full four-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major or at least 24 semester hours in qualifying scientific or technical courses; at least 6 semester hours must be directly related to the position. A full course of study of at least 12 months at a school for clinical laboratory technicians may be substituted for specialized experience.
Combination pathway: applicants may combine education and experience to qualify.
Education used to qualify must be from an institution accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with the transcript.
The work involves prolonged standing and lifting moderately heavy items.

Responsibilities

Handle and store biospecimens, including liquid nitrogen cold storage.
Prepare RNA, DNA, and protein from mammalian cell and rodent samples.
Perform recombinant DNA techniques, including PCR, cloning, transformation, mini and maxi DNA preparations, rtPCR studies, and next-generation sequencing library generation and analysis.
Perform protein techniques, including cell extract preparation, quantification, electrophoresis, immunoblotting, and imaging.
Culture, propagate, cryopreserve, and stain mammalian cells.
Construct, generate, and use lentiviral and adeno-associated vectors in cell culture and rodent models.
Perform CRISPR/Cas9 gene targeting in mammalian cells.
Isolate mammalian cells using flow cytometry or related technologies.
Conduct mouse and rat husbandry, including weaning, ear tagging and punching, breeding, and euthanasia.
Perform mouse and rat genotyping, including genomic DNA preparation, PCR genotyping, and data entry.
Conduct experimental protocols involving rodent models, including tissue sampling.
Prepare and analyze histological samples from rodent models.
Use computer software including ImageJ, Prism, Microsoft Office, Python, RStudio, SQL, and AI models such as ChatGPT.
Maintain general laboratory organization, maintenance, and function.
Handle and dispose of hazardous waste.