Research Technician - Biology

Tufts University•Medford, MA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Blackiston Lab at Tufts University is seeking a versatile, experienced, and highly motivated research technician. This is a one-year limited term and grant-funded position with the potential for extension pending performance and available funding. The Research Technician will aid the Principal Investigator (PI) with a broad range of bench top lab techniques supporting multiple projects in a developmental biology focused lab. The primary tasks will include culturing and manipulating amphibian embryos, cloning, brightfield and fluorescent microscopy, immunohistochemistry, optogenetic tool development, robotic experimentation, and general lab responsibilities. The remaining time will be dedicated to aquatic animal husbandry, maintaining resident stocks of primarily Xenopus laevis frogs and their housing equipment. The ideal candidate must be observant, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple concurrent tasks with excellent verbal and written communication skills. The position involves conducting routine experiments, recording results, performing limited data interpretation and basic statistics, maintaining laboratory equipment, ordering supplies, preparing stock solutions, monitoring animal colonies, and performing aquaculture responsibilities such as feeding, waste removal, water quality testing, and observing animals for signs of illness. The technician will follow lab procedures and university regulatory animal care protocols.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in a STEM field of focus
Knowledge and skills typically acquired by completing a Bachelor’s degree in science with up to one year laboratory experience
Standard background in biological research: making solutions, microscopy, pipetting, electronic laboratory notebooks
Background work with an in vivo or in vitro biological system (i.e. any living organism)
Comfortable following the instructions of supervising staff and asking clarifying questions when needed
Familiarity with basic laboratory techniques and procedures

Nice To Haves

Experience with cloning, optogenetics, and/or bulk RNAseq are beneficial but not required
Experience with vertebrate or invertebrate model organisms is valuable, but not required
A Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field of focus: biochemistry, biology, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline is required, with 1–2 years of molecular biology experience in an academic or industrial laboratory
Background in 1 or more of the following areas: 1) general cloning and sequencing, 2) optogenetic stimulation of cells, 3) experience with a biological model species, 4) background in bioinformatics and bulk RNAseq analysis

Responsibilities

Conducts routine experiments following appropriate protocols and procedures to achieve results
Records results and maintains accurate records of experiments
Performs limited data interpretation and assists with basic statistics and analysis
Maintains laboratory equipment and orders/keeps inventory of supplies
Prepares stock solutions, reagents and other media
Monitors animal colonies and performs husbandry, collects samples and maintains census records
Aquaculture Responsibilities: feeding and waste removal in “fish tank” style housing
Aquaculture Responsibilities: performing water quality tests using kits and electrical meters and logging the results
Aquaculture Responsibilities: Observing animals for signs of illness and / or injury and reporting concerns about animal health and welfare to lab staff and University veterinary staff
Follow lab procedures and university regulatory animal care protocols
Culturing and manipulating amphibian embryos
Cloning
Brightfield and fluorescent microscopy
Immunohistochemistry
Optogenetic tool development
Robotic experimentation
General lab responsibilities
Aquatic animal husbandry: maintaining resident stocks of primarily Xenopus laevis frogs and their housing equipment