Responsibilities

Position Summary:

The Associate will serve as a laboratory manager within the laboratory of Dr. Jennifer Nayak in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. This person will have the primary responsibility for planning, executing, and interpreting complex experiments aimed at understanding the immune response to influenza infection and vaccination. The work will involve experiments utilizing PBMCs obtained from both adult and pediatric subjects, with the goal of understanding how the anti-influenza immune response develops during childhood. Research may also involve experiments aimed at understanding the development of immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As part of this position, the Associate will be expected to independently interpret data and make recommendations regarding the design and optimization of future experiments. This person will also be expected to interact and collaborate with multiple laboratories in the Department of Pediatrics and the Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology. Whenever possible, the Associate will be encouraged to present findings at scientific meetings and co-author manuscripts.

The Associate will supervise and direct the day-to-day operations of the Principal Investigator’s laboratory, with responsibilities to include the development and maintenance of laboratory safety protocols, the design of experimental protocols, the purchase of supplies and equipment, and budgeting.

Work schedule will include 40 weekday hours per week, with the occasional requirement to work evenings or weekends, depending on the operational needs of the laboratory.

Supervision and Direction Received:

This person will have the primary responsibility of managing the daily operations of the laboratory to maintain productivity with minimal oversight from the PI. As the laboratory expands, the Associate will be responsible for training and supervising laboratory technicians as well as students, residents, or fellows conducting research within the lab.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or higher in an appropriate discipline, plus 1-2 years specialized experience in related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience required. Knowledge of fundamental immunology and basic immunological methods is necessary. The applicant must be able to maintain productivity without supervision during times when the PI is occupied with clinical responsibilities or travelling. Some experience in performing and analyzing multiparameter flow cytometry data is preferred. Must be detailed, accurate and highly organized with the ability to work independently with only occasional direction.

NOTE: This document describes typical duties and responsibilities and is not intended to limit management from assigning other work as required.

Responsibilities:

• Design, perform, and interpret experiments with the goal of quantifying CD4 T cell and B cell responses to influenza infection and vaccination on PBMCs from adult and pediatric subjects. This will involve:

• Surface and/or intracellular staining for multi-parameter flow cytometry, including spectral flow cytometry.

• Purification of CD4 T cells, followed by cytokine Elispot assays to quantify responses to individual peptide epitopes, peptide pools, or whole antigens.

• Quantification of the B cell and serum antibody response using B cell Elispots, ELISAs, microneutralization assays, and HAI assays.

• Plan, perform, and interpret other routine laboratory assays, including but not limited to cDNA synthesis, RT-PCR, western blots, protein production, and multiplex analysis for secreted proteins

• Interpret experimental data, including performance of basic statistical analysis using Microsoft Excel and Prism software. Develops novel data analysis methods using programing languages such as R. Organizes and prepares results for presentation at laboratory meetings, conferences, and in manuscripts and grant applications. Maintains detailed experimental records and presents data to the PI and others.

• Attend lab meetings and relevant seminars, including regular meetings with the PI to review data, proposes experiments and discusses data. Communicate research data on behalf of the PI at local, regional, and national meetings if the PI is unable to attend or assigns the technical associate

• Independently write and edit sections of manuscripts dealing with methodology for publication. Independently write sections of grant applications, including obtaining budgetary data for review by PI. Establish and troubleshoot new laboratory protocols and develop standardized operating procedures for the laboratory. Independent management of the laboratory’s reagent inventory; keep research supplies stocked. Oversee maintenance, management, and/or repair of equipment; coordinates ordering of supplies and equipment and trains people in the appropriate use of equipment. Has the ability to make decisions on purchases of supplies and equipment. Will perform in depth comparative research to obtain the best product at the best price and provide informed recommendations to the PI for decision making. Meets with vendors to review equipment/laboratory needs. Maintains organized ordering records and tracks missing deliveries; troubleshoots and resolves supply and/or equipment errors.

• Monitors and ensures training and compliance with Environmental Health and Safety – Occupational Safety Unit, Safety Training for Research Laboratory Personnel requirements specific to laboratory for all laboratory personnel. Ensures that health and safety practices are maintained in accordance with University

Position will also be rated according to attendance record

How To Apply

All applicants must apply online.

EOE Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled

Pay Range

Pay Range: $47,972 - $67,161 Annually

The referenced pay range represents the minimum and maximum compensation for this job. Individual annual salaries/hourly rates will be set within the job’s compensation range, and will be determined by considering factors including, but not limited to, market data, education, experience, qualifications, expertise of the individual, and internal equity considerations.

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Location: School of Medicine & Dentistry
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
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