Research Technician

UNC-Chapel Hill•Chapel Hill, NC

11d•Onsite

About The Position

This position will serve as a Research Technician within the Gene Therapy Center in UNC’s School of Medicine in the lab of Dr. Sara Powell. The Research Technician will be responsible for experimental execution and data collection, animal welfare and regulatory compliance, and technical and laboratory operations.

Requirements

Experience executing in vivo studies according to IACUC protocols.
Experience performing administration of rAAV vectors to animal models using various routes (IV, IP, SC, or IM).
Experience conducting longitudinal assessments, including body weight tracking, clinical scoring, and behavioral observations.
Experience with perfusion, necropsy and tissue collection procedures.
Experience with tissue sectioning, DNA/RNA isolation.
Experience performing daily health checks on animals.
Experience maintaining environmental controls (temperature, humidity, lighting, cage sanitation).
Experience ordering animals.
Experience maintaining records of animal activities, surgery logs, treatment administration, and adverse event reports.
Experience utilizing instruments to process animal tissue for analysis (vibratome and ddPCR).
Experience managing stocks of specialized supplies, including anesthetics, surgical consumables, and study-specific reagents.
Experience maintaining aseptic technique for surgical procedures.

Responsibilities

Execute complex in vivo studies according to approved Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols, ensuring all procedures are performed exactly as specified.
Perform administration of rAAV vectors to animals models using various routes (e.g. IV, IP, SC, or IM).
Conduct longitudinal assessments, including body weight tracking, clinical scoring, and behavioral observations.
Execute perfusion, necropsy and tissue collection procedures with technical proficiency, ensuring proper preparations for downstream analysis (tissue sectioning, DNA/RNA isolation).
Perform daily health checks to monitor for signs of distress, morbidity, or pain, ensuring immediate reporting and intervention according to the study’s humane endpoints.
Maintain rigorous environmental controls (e.g., temperature, humidity, lighting, and cage sanitation) in accordance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
Order animals.
Maintain meticulous, real-time records of all animal activities, including surgery logs, treatment administration, and adverse event reports to ensure audit readiness.
Utilize instruments to process animal tissue for analysis (e.g. vibratome and ddPCR).
Manage stocks of specialized supplies, including anesthetics, surgical consumables, and study-specific reagents, ensuring quality control and appropriate expiration tracking.
Maintain high standards of aseptic technique for all surgical procedures to prevent cross-contamination or infection.