Research Technician II - Mouse Model of Brain Stimulation Therapies

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia•Philadelphia, PA

15d•Onsite

About The Position

This entry-level research technical role participates in a planned research projects by performing research protocols, experimental procedures and other laboratory tasks under direct supervision. May occasionally exercise minimal discretion and judgment in execution and interpretation of experiments, and of data derived. Mouse Model of Brain Stimulation Therapies Position Overview Seeking a research technician to support basic neuroscience studies on the use of brain stimulation therapies for restoring function in mouse models of neuropsychiatric disease. This role is ideal for someone considering graduate school, MD/PhD or a neuroscience research career, but is interested in spending at least 2 years in a full-time research position. The role will be full-time in person and will entail executing mouse research protocols and data analysis. The position requires someone who is highly attentive to detail, comfortable learning new hands-on-skills, and a proactive communicator. This role is best suited to high performers who are comfortable working independently in the lab - owning experimental workflows from generating experimental animals to collecting and analyzing data. About the Role The Goldberg Lab is an interdisciplinary group of neuroscientists studying the biology of seizures. This role is specifically to support projects related to the use of therapeutic seizure induction, also known as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), for treating epilepsy and behavioral deficits in mouse models of neuropsychiatric disease. This position sits at the interface of in vivo physiology, advanced behavioral testing, and molecular neuroscience, and will directly contribute to publications and grant-funded projects

Requirements

High School Diploma / GED Required
At least one (1) year of related classroom experience or successful completion of a technical training program (eg. Wistar, WPSI) and research laboratory experience Required
Understanding and following written lab procedures, protocols, and equipment manuals
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Excellent organizational skills with ability to plan ahead
Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Solid analytical skills
Strong documentation and record-keeping abilities
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
Responsiveness to constructive criticism
Motivated to grow into a high-impact contributor to research projects.
Excellence in teamwork, professionalism and collaborative research
Articulate in written and verbal communication
Detail-oriented with strong organizational capabilities

Nice To Haves

Associate's Degree Preferred
Bachelor's Degree Preferred
Preferred: Bachelor's Degree in Neuroscience, Biology, Psychology, or related field
At least two (2) years of related classroom experience or successful completion of a technical training program (eg. Wistar, WPSI) and research laboratory experience Preferred
At least 1 year of research laboratory experience (Preferred)
Preferred: Specific experience with neuroscience research, including behavioral testing, cranial window surgeries, in vivo physiology, and/or data analysis of dynamic time series
Additional advantage: basic exposure to mouse behavioral experiments/techniques and scientific analysis (no allergy to rodents)
Additional advantage: comfortable handling rodents and working with animal models
Proficiency in data collection and organization methods using computer coding (e.g., Python, MATLAB, R Studio), including ability to read and edit code

Responsibilities

Assist in the husbandry, handling and care of laboratory mice
Conduct stereotactic neurosurgery procedures in mice to prepare them for optical neuroimaging and brain stimulation
Perform behavioral testing in mice
Conduct experiments administering brain stimulation and inducing seizures in mice with concurrent optical neuroimaging of brain activity
Maintain organized and complete datasets and laboratory notebook records
Perform analysis using MatLab and Microsoft Excel of mouse data, including quantitative analysis, data visualization and preliminary figure generation.
Maintaining reproducible and annotated code. Comfort with editing and executing analysis scripts.
For particularly proficient coders, this role can also flex into helping with analysis of translational human clinical trial data of brain activity data during brain stimulation.
Implement wet lab protocols and sample preparation for immunohistochemistry, single-cell transcriptomics, and other molecular biology tools
Troubleshooting experiments, thinking critically about experimental protocols and analysis
Performs routine tests / experiments under the direction of principal investigator, supervisor or other designee
Performs research procedures on experimental samples as directed
Records and checks experiments/ results for completeness and accuracy
Performs calculations and maintains appropriate log and lab notebooks
Performs tasks that require familiarity with fundamental techniques and lab equipment
May assist with planning specific research protocols and procedures
Maintains office, lab area, solutions, reagents, supplies and equipment, disposes of specimens, media and other materials (using appropriate procedures)
Assists in care and maintenance of lab equipment
May coordinate schedules of tests and procedures
Attends courses, seminars, and lab meetings to expand knowledge of research and laboratory techniques
Records results, organizes data and maintains lab notebook in an organized manner
Compiles and helps analyze data, prepares charts, graphs, and results of studies as directed
Conducts literary searches as directed
Maintain mouse husbandry rooms
Assist in care and maintenance of facility equipment
Coordinate schedules of tests and procedures as needed
Compile and analyze data, prepare charts, graphs, and results of studies as directed
Conduct literature searches as directed
Assist with planning specific research protocols and procedures
Opportunity for co-authorship on research manuscripts generated from experiments