Research Technician

UNC-Chapel Hill • Chapel Hill, NC

2d

About The Position

The Research Technician will have the opportunity to join a cutting-edge research laboratory in the Department of Pediatrics under the supervision of Dr. Jane Gross. The Gross Lab is dedicated to understanding chronic airway infections, with a particular emphasis on nontuberculous mycobacterial ( NTM ) infections. Research interests include NTM epidemiology, host susceptibility and pathogenesis, therapeutics, and the mechanisms of acquisition and transmission of infection among susceptible populations. The Research Technician will perform procedures related to NTM biobanking including overseeing the receipt, processing, characterization, storage, documentation, and distribution of bacterial isolates in accordance with institutional, regulatory, and biosafety requirements. This role ensures the integrity, traceability, and availability of isolates to support ongoing and future research activities. The Research Technician will also support NTM related clinical research. The Research Technician may have some supervisory responsibilities overseeing undergraduate students and Research Fellows in the lab. Work Schedule Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm, with some evenings and weekends as needed

Responsibilities

• Isolate intake and processing, including accessioning new bacterial isolates; verifying sample identity; performing primary culturing, purification, and viability testing; and preparing long term stocks (e.g., glycerol stocks, cryopreservation).
• Biobank organization and maintenance, including labeling, inventory control, and systematic storage of isolates in freezers or liquid nitrogen systems; monitoring storage conditions; maintaining backup stocks; and coordinating freezer space and capacity planning.
• Quality control and characterization, such as routine checks for contamination, confirmation of species or strain identity (e.g., phenotypic assays, PCR , sequencing as applicable), and documentation of passage history and experimental use.
• Data management and recordkeeping, including maintaining accurate electronic records of isolate metadata, source information, storage locations, chain of custody, associated experimental data, and distribution history in compliance with data integrity standards.
• Regulatory and biosafety compliance.
• Distribution and coordination, including fulfilling internal and external requests for isolates; preparing shipments in compliance with institutional and shipping regulations; and coordinating material transfer agreements (MTAs) as needed.
• Study coordination and execution.
• Participant recruitment and management, including screening and consenting eligible participants; conducting study visits; collecting clinical data and biospecimens; and educating participants on study procedures.
• Data collection and management, including entry of study data into electronic data capture ( EDC ) systems, resolution of data queries, and maintenance of source documentation and study binders.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed