Research Technician II (Extended Temporary Employee)

The School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness is seeking an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our group as a Research Technician II to work under the direction of Dr. Richard Simpson.

The successful individual will be expected to assist with ongoing research projects in both an exercise testing/physiology laboratory and a biochemical laboratory. Dr Simpson's research activities are predominantly concerned with how exercise impacts the immune system, utilizing both human and animal research models.

This position is Extended Temporary.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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• Perform standard laboratory procedures, such as maintaining cell cultures (requiring the use of sterile technique), processing tissue samples and preparing slides using staining techniques.
• Maintain animal colonies, including feeding, watering, sexing and breeding the subjects.
• Operate laboratory and experimental equipment such as microscopes, flow cytometers, PCR machines, spectrophotometers, centrifuges, analytical balances, photometers, spectrometers, metabolic carts and various pieces of exercise equipment for human test subjects.
• Collect samples or data and performs lab analyses, and/or quantify and tabulate results.
• Compile data and assist in routine preliminary analyses; maintain research data in a laboratory notebook, write summary reports and reports findings to the investigator.
• Assist with basic mathematical and statistical analyses.
• Organize supplies, materials or equipment and set-up equipment for laboratory experiments or demonstrations; may perform minor equipment maintenance.
• Maintain detailed records of controlled substances in the laboratory; package waste materials and arrange for disposal according to established procedures.
• Clean glassware and other laboratory equipment or materials using appropriate standards; keep laboratory area clean.
• Assist in performing surgeries and dissections on animals, including setting up equipment and supplies, preparing animals for surgery, anesthetizing and monitoring the heart rate of the animal and harvesting tissue samples and readily accessible organs.
• Follow established procedures to prepare solutions, media and reagents using arithmetical calculations for measuring; perform library research to find appropriate procedures, as required.
• Perform clerical tasks such as filing, typing, labeling and billing; inventory and requisition supplies and materials.
• Assist in training Research/Laboratory Glassware Attendants and/or students working in the laboratory.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of methods and analytical techniques used in both an exercise testing/physiology laboratory and a biochemical laboratory. These include, but are not limited to, metabolic carts, cycling/treadmill ergometers, flow cytometers, cell culture, qRT-PCR, murine husbandry, murine dissection and tissue processing, immunohistochemistry and spectrophotometry.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Skill in recording research data.
• Skill in contributing to scholarly research outputs (e.g., published scientific papers or abstracts).

• High school diploma or high school diploma equivalency is required.
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• Bachelor's degree in Biology or Immunology.
• 3 years experience as a research assistant/laboratory technician.