Sr. Research Specialist- IL- Precision Medicine

Midwestern University • Downers Grove, IL

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Sr. Research Specialist provides essential research support to the He Laboratory on an NIH-funded project under the supervision of the Principal Investigator (PI). The successful candidate will contribute to the design and execution of research experiments, data collection and analysis, and the preparation of figures, presentations, and manuscripts based on the research findings. This position reports directly to the Principal Investigator.

Requirements

• Must be able to work in a constant state of alertness and safe manner and have regular, predictable, in-person attendance.
• A Bachelor’s degree with 6-8 years of full-time research experience or a research thesis-based master’s degree relevant to the area of study with 5-7 years of full-time research experience.
• Candidates with a doctoral degree will be considered.
• The candidate should demonstrate the ability to perform independent experiments, be flexible and willing to occasionally work outside regular hours and be capable of working with mice.
• Computer proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required.

Nice To Haves

• research experience in pain-related in vivo studies
• experience with optogenetics, chemogenetics, or stereotaxic microinjections.
• Experience with Statistics, Graphing and Imaging software is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Independently designs, executes, and optimizes standard biochemical experiments (e.g., Western blotting, qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry), ensuring high-quality and reproducible results.
• Maintain transgenic mouse colony.
• Proficient in handling mice and performing drug administration, behavioral testing, and tissue dissection & harvesting, ensuring compliance with all regulatory standards.
• Provides training and supervision to students and junior research staff, fostering technical development and adherence to lab best practices.
• Identifies technical challenges, develops and implements effective troubleshooting strategies and innovative solutions.
• Leads the development, validation, and implementation of new experimental protocols and methodologies.
• Performs data analysis, interpretation, and visualization.
• Conducts comprehensive literature reviews to inform experimental design, identify emerging methodologies.
• Maintains thorough, accurate, and audit-ready lab notebook, in compliance with institutional and regulatory standards.
• Responsible for maintaining cleanliness, repair, and organization of lab
• Responsible for recordkeeping, maintenance and disposal associated with lab equipment and chemicals
• Adheres to laboratory safety procedures
• Contributes to abstract submissions and poster preparation
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
• life insurance
• short/long term disability
• pet insurance
• flexible spending accounts including healthcare reimbursement and child/dependent care account
• competitive time off package including paid holiday’s, sick/flex days, personal days and vacation days
• 403(b) retirement plan
• tuition reimbursement
• child care subsidy reimbursement program
• identity theft protection
• employee assistance program
• wellness facility on-site with a fully equipped fitness facility

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees