Biologist

About the role

Position Objective: The Biologist will provide support services to satisfy the overall operational objectives of the National Institute on Aging within the National Institutes of Health. The Computational Genomics Unit at NIA is interested in the mechanistic basis for RNA regulation and decay in aging. Particularly the crosstalk between RNA regulatory processes i.e. miRNAs, RNA binding processes and decay. The position involves leading, developing and applying protocols to study gene expression, translation and decay using new technologies such as nanopore sequencing (dRNA-Seq), ribosome profiling (Ribo-Seq) and crosslinking, immunoprecipitation and sequencing of RNA binding proteins (CLIP-Seq).

Responsibilities

• Plan and administer biological research programs
• Develop and maintain liaisons and effective working relations with groups and individuals, agencies, and the public to encourage cooperative management strategies or to develop information and interpret findings
• Assists with performing basic laboratory experiments and procedures
• Collect and analyze biological data about relationships among and between organisms and their environment
• Coordinate the work of biological technicians and technologists and other scientists
• Monitor and observe experiments, recording production and test data for evaluation by research personnel
• Analyze experimental data and interpret results to write reports and summaries of findings
• Prepares, organizes and maintains various lab samples, supplies, and equipment
• Operate, calibrate, or maintain equipment used in quantitative or qualitative analysis, such as spectrophotometers, calorimeters, flame photometers, or computer-controlled analyzers.
• Maintain laboratory equipment
• Operate laboratory equipment to analyze samples 5
• Analyze laboratory findings 4
• Place orders for laboratory supplies and equipment and monitor deliveries
• Learns new laboratory techniques and procedures
• Program and use computers to store, process, and analyze data 3
• Monitor operational procedures in technical environments to ensure conformance to standards
• Interpret research or operational data 2
• Record research or operational data
• Develop new experimental protocols and procedures 1
• Identify self as contractor at meetings; conferences; e-mail and other written forms of correspondence and/or documents; telephone calls/voicemail; seminars; and training courses.
• Conduct independent research projects to purify and analyze ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes pertaining to mRNA decay, RNA stability, and gene regulation.
• Analyze the function of RNA dynamics in aging-associated diseases and across cells