Life Science Technician I

About the role

The Veterinary Service Center (VSC) at Stanford University provides Laboratory Animal Care and operates within the Department of Comparative Medicine. We are fully accredited by the Association for Accreditation and Assessment of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC).

Responsibilities

• Very simple animal dissection such as removing a readily accessible organ, preparation before and assistance during surgery, administration of medication and post-surgery care.
• Histological procedures involving fixation of tissue and staining specimens with stains that do not require microscopic control in proceeding from step to step.
• Maintenance and transfer of established cell lines where the culture conditions are well defined.
• Biochemical assays (often colorimetric or spectrophotometric) of compounds or enzymatic activity using well-established procedures where the determination of any settings or adjustments is provided to the technician.
• Molecular biology assays (polymerase chain reaction, sequencing reactions) where the protocol is well established.
• Operation of instruments (e.g., spectrophotometer, fraction collector, scintillation counter, PCR machines, light microscope, cell counter) where the settings are simple or prescribed; techniques such as centrifugation (not involving density gradients) or limited black and white photography.
• Isolation, purification and maintenance of bacteria and basic manipulation of bacterial plasmids using well-established protocols; determination of the concentration of cells.
• Complete and accurate documentation of the work performed.

Qualifications

• American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Certification as Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATg), Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT), or Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT).
• Experience with rodent weaning and genotyping.
• Experience with lab animal inventory management systems.

Skills

• Must be able to read, write, understand, communicate and follow written and oral instructions provided in English.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Applications, Google Sheets & Docs, and general database systems.
• Basic desktop computational skills and familiarity with handheld device (e.g. iPad).
• Must be able to follow detailed instructions and keep accurate records.
• Must be able to work with team members in a cooperative fashion and have good communications skills.

Physical Requirements

• Frequently stand, walk, twist, bend, stoop, squat, grasp lightly, use fine manipulation, grasp forcefully, perform desk-based computer tasks, use telephone, write by hand.
• Occasionally lift and handle materials up to 10 lbs.
• Rarely carry/pull and/or push up to 20 lbs.
• Must have correctible vision to perform duties of the job.
• Work occurs in a secured facility, in an environment where animals are used for teaching and research.
• Work occurs in the vicinity of animals, chemicals, gasses, or hazardous materials.

Working Conditions

• Work occurs in a secured facility, in an environment where animals are used for teaching and research.
• Work occurs in the vicinity of animals, chemicals, gasses, or hazardous materials.
• Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide, http://adminguide.stanford.edu , and the appropriate Collective Bargaining Agreement at https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/workplace-essentials/employee-labor-relations/labor-relations-collective-bargaining/seiu-higher

Position Standards

• When conducting university business, must comply with the California Vehicle Code and Stanford University driving requirements.
• Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.
• Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide, http://adminguide.stanford.edu , and the appropriate Collective Bargaining Agreement at https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/workplace-essentials/employee-labor-relations/labor-relations-collective-bargaining/seiu-higher