Research Scientist/Engineer 1 (Temporary)

University of Washington Medical Center•Seattle, WA

About The Position

The School of Medicine's Division of Urology has an outstanding opportunity for a Temporary Research Scientist/Engineer 1. The Research Scientist/Engineer 1 (Payroll Title: Pro Staff Temp Position) will facilitate several ongoing research projects spanning basic science studies and clinical medicine, and interactions with several University Departments (Urology, Medicine, and Pathology) as well as collaborations with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. This person will work under limited supervision to complete assigned tasks/projects demonstrating an ability to work independently. Overall direction will be supplied by the Biorepository Manager in routine meetings. The employee will be responsible for following these general guidelines and for making adjustments to these directions as the need arises. The employee will eventually be responsible for overseeing the day- to-day performance of work-study students who help complete routine duties and for assuring that they follow all safety regulations. The employee will also act as a Team Leader for our on-call rapid Tissue Acquisition Necropsy (TAN) program, coordinating and guiding a team of research scientists and physicians through tissue collections. This position is in the Department of Urology's Genitourinary Cancer Research Laboratory, within the biospecimen acquisition and processing group. This position involves acquiring peripheral blood, tissue, tissue biopsies, and urine specimens from the operating room, the urology clinic, and the morgue (a tissue acquisition) and processing and storing the specimens according to protocol. This position will supervise. undergraduate work-study students. Incumbents perform routine scientific work, collecting, processing, and applying standardized scientific procedures and techniques

Requirements

A Bachelor's degree in the basic biological sciences is required with an emphasis in one of the biology disciplines
One year of relevant experience, OR e quivalent combination of education/experience
Familiarity with spreadsheets and databases.
Must be able to work under limited supervision to complete assigned tasks/projects and demonstrate an ability to work independently.
This position requires flexibility in the working hours, including extension into the evening when mandates by processing of specimens, and on occasion requires working outside of the standard workweek.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the handling and processing of human tissues and blood is highly desired but not a requirement.
Experience working with clinical databases and/or EPIC systems is desirable.

Responsibilities

Work closely with Department of Pathology personnel in the processing of specimens removed at surgery with the goal of tumor tissue acquisition: 10%
Master techniques of tumor dissection following training by the genitourinary pathologist.
Utilize excellent eye-hand coordination in tissue dissection and pay exceptional attention to detailed protocols for tissue acquisition and processing.
Accommodate frequent changes in the operating room schedule, which will necessitate working a variable, on demand, schedule, and varying locations.
Lead an on-call rapid Tissue Acquisition Necropsy (TAN) team:
Rotate (every third week) as a leader of a TAN team.
Coordinate the arrival of the patient, physicians, and team to the morgue and oversee the collection.
Assist with the processing of samples, ensure all documentation is complete and accurate, and arrange for final transportation of the patient.
The TAN program necessitates that the applicant be in the laboratory within two hours of being paged. Each laboratory member participates in approximately 4-5 rapid autopsies per year.
Tissue Processing and Standard Histology: 10%
There will be the need for the successful applicant to be sufficiently adept with techniques in histology (fixing, decalcification, sectioning, and staining of tissue), so as to make modifications to suit the particular research study with minimal guidance from the supervisor.
Blood and Urine Collection and Processing for clinical trials and research: 40%
Utilize excellent attention to detail while logging human subjects consent forms, assigning lab IDs, and following clinical study protocols.
Use appropriate precautions while isolating serum, buffy coat, and/or plasma from blood specimens and processing urine samples.
Apply exceptional organizational skill and attention to detail when working with multiple protocols for sample acquisition and processing.
Contribute to the maintenance and organization of the Biospecimen freezers and arrange occasional shipping of specimens to Study Sites.
Collection and Documentation of Data: 20%
Must be very attentive to detail and keep highly accurate records of specimens received and processed.
Demonstrate proficiency in data collection and input of data into databases.
Complement these tasks with ability to run database queries to retrieve selected and sorted data.
Other Related Duties: 20%
Interact in a collaborative manner with other team members to accomplish organizational goals and provide ideas for improved efficiency.
Define and improve practices from experiences on small projects.
Learn new techniques as required for optimal job performance.
Perform other duties as assigned.