Research Assistant I, Levi Lab

About the position

The Levi Laboratory is located in the Department of Surgery at UT Southwestern and is led by the Principal Investigator, Dr. Benjamin Levi. The lab's mission is to improve the lives of people living with skin and musculoskeletal diseases through rigorous science and compassion. The lab consists of 1500 square feet of state-of-the-art laboratory space equipped with equipment to facilitate experiments and research with tissue cultures, small animal surgeries, and molecular biology. All lab members receive leadership training and coaching from Dr. Levi and other senior-level lab personnel. Besides working hard, the Levi Lab will step away from the bench to give back to the community.

Responsibilities

• Perform functions that may include murine animal colony maintenance, designing and performing scientific experiments, analyzing, and interpreting results.
• Follow proper safety guidelines and maintain lab records/documentation.
• Work on ongoing scientific experiments, which may include tissue culturing, mouse handling, or PCR genotyping.
• Animal breeding, genotyping, handling, and surgery.
• MicroCT on animal tissue as well as analysis.
• Flow cytometry and mass spectrometry.
• Histology pipeline from tissue harvest to embedding, sectioning, staining, and confocal microscopy.
• Construct, assemble, and operate laboratory equipment and apparatus.
• Record and evaluate data obtained from work assignments for use in scientific papers.
• Collaborate with supervisor or other research personnel in preparation of scientific papers for publication; collaborate with other scientists outside of the laboratory and outside of UT Southwestern.
• Read literature and confer with supervisor concerning procedures and implementation.
• Collect and organize research data for project reports.
• Prepare and participate in both laboratory meetings and board meetings; participate in reading and writing club within the laboratory weekly.
• May plan for, and provide supervision of, the work of research technicians or other laboratory personnel of lower grade.
• Maintain accurate records of experimental procedures, observations, and results in laboratory notebooks and electronic databases.
• Collect, organize, and analyze experimental data using appropriate software tools and statistical methods.
• Maintain laboratory cleanliness and orderliness, including equipment maintenance and calibration.
• Adhere to laboratory safety protocols and regulatory guidelines to ensure a safe working environment.

Requirements

• Master's degree with major coursework in the field of assignment and no experience required, or
• Bachelor's degree with major coursework in the field of assignment and one year of research experience at the level of research technician or equivalent, or
• Two years of college with emphasis on coursework in the field of assignment and four years of research experience, including two years at the level of research technician or equivalent, or
• High school graduation or GED and six years of research experience that includes two years at the level of research technician or equivalent.
• Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Professional, responsible, organized, and dedicated, with strong interpersonal/team skill sets.

Nice-to-haves

• Willing to commit to at least two years.
• Able to utilize a variety of molecular biology techniques, including but not limited to PCR, qPCR, western blotting, RNA/DNA extraction, cloning, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, and next-generation sequencing.
• Experience with animal handling and animal surgery.
• Experience with single-cell transcriptomic analyses.
• Experience with histology pipeline from tissue harvest to embedding, sectioning, staining, and confocal microscopy.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Able to perform data analysis and interpretation using bioinformatics tools, statistical methods, and relevant software packages.

Benefits

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare - no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer