Student Research Assistant - Environmental Health Science

Tulane University • New Orleans, LA

2d

About The Position

The Graduate Research Assistant (Part-Time) provides hands-on laboratory support for research in environmental health sciences, molecular and cellular toxicology, extracellular vesicle (EV) biology, and related biomedical research. The role supports routine and project-specific experiments involving mammalian cell culture, environmental exposure studies, EV isolation and characterization, nucleic acid and protein assays, and molecular cloning.

Under the supervision of the Principal Investigator and other designated research personnel, the assistant maintains cell cultures; prepares reagents and experimental materials; collects and processes samples; and performs or supports PCR/qPCR, gel electrophoresis, Western blotting, plasmid preparation, restriction digestion, cloning, bacterial transformation and culture, and related molecular biology procedures. After appropriate training, the assistant may also support microscopy, flow-based or particle-based measurements, and other laboratory assays.

The position requires complete and accurate laboratory records, adherence to established SOPs and safety requirements, reagent and supply organization, basic data organization and quality control, and contributions to figures, presentations, and research summaries. It is a training-oriented role intended to give a graduate student progressively independent experience in rigorous laboratory research while supporting ongoing and emerging laboratory projects.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, biomedical engineering, environmental health sciences, toxicology, chemistry, or a related field.
• Current enrollment in a relevant graduate degree program.
• Prior hands-on research experience in cell culture, tissue engineering, molecular biology, biomedical research, or a comparable wet-laboratory setting.
• Basic knowledge of cell and molecular biology and ability to follow written experimental protocols, SOPs, and laboratory safety procedures.
• Ability to perform careful pipetting, solution and reagent preparation, sample labeling, routine laboratory calculations, and accurate record keeping.
• Ability to conduct aseptic work and maintain mammalian cell cultures, or demonstrated ability to learn cell-culture techniques through supervised training.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, including the ability to manage multiple experiments, maintain sample traceability, and meet project timelines.
• Ability to work independently after training and collaboratively with faculty, students, staff, and collaborators in a multidisciplinary research environment.
• Proficiency with standard office and research software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and willingness to learn laboratory data-analysis and instrument software.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture and passaging.
• Experience with cell-based assays, tissue engineering, or related biological systems.
• Experience with one or more molecular biology or protein-analysis techniques, such as DNA/RNA extraction, PCR/qPCR, gel electrophoresis, Western blotting, cloning, plasmid preparation, restriction digestion, or bacterial transformation and culture.
• Experience or strong interest in extracellular vesicle isolation or characterization, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, nanoparticle analysis, environmental toxicology or exposure experiments, or related biomedical research methods.

Responsibilities

• Maintain mammalian cell cultures using aseptic technique, including routine feeding, passaging, seeding, freezing and thawing, and experimental setup under established protocols.
• Assist with environmental or experimental treatments, sample collection, and the isolation, processing, storage, and basic characterization of extracellular vesicles and other biological samples.
• Perform or assist with nucleic acid and protein extraction, PCR/qPCR, gel electrophoresis, protein quantification, Western blotting, and related analytical procedures according to established protocols.
• Support molecular cloning workflows, including plasmid preparation, restriction digestion, ligation or assembly, bacterial transformation and culture, clone screening, and preparing samples for sequencing or downstream experiments.
• Maintain organized laboratory notebooks and electronic records; document experimental conditions and results; perform basic data organization and quality-control checks; and assist with figures, presentations, and research summaries.
• Prepare reagents and buffers; label and organize samples; monitor routine supplies; maintain clean shared work areas; and assist with routine equipment care and laboratory organization in accordance with safety and quality requirements.
• Complete project-specific training before undertaking new procedures.
• Perform other duties as requested or required, whether or not specifically mentioned in the job description.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level