Research Associate/Animal Research Technician I

Description of Responsibilities

• Assist and/or perform acute and recovery surgeries in small animals using sterile techniques
• Collect physiological data (e.g. blood pressure, heart rate, muscle strength)
• Perform cut downs for the placement of arterial and venous catheters in small animals
• Set-up, maintain and calibrate electronic physiological devices with PC based data acquisition and control systems
• Provide daily assessments on small and large animals and administer analgesics
• Euthanize animals, dissect, and harvest tissues and process them for histology, specified bioassays, and storage
• Perform routine molecular biology assays (e.g., RT-PCR, Western Blot)
• Perform microscopic analysis using multiple microscopy techniques such as, but not limited to fluorescence and confocal microscopy
• Maintain and organize digital archive of photomicrographs
• Perform general microbiological and cell culture methods
• Perform data collection, management, and analysis for preparation for publication
• Maintain laboratory notebooks
• Track and maintain inventory of tissue samples
• Maintain organization of laboratory areas, and maintain and order all pertinent supplies related to protocols
• Assists in submitting manuscripts, posters and abstracts to relevant journals and meetings
• Order and provide animal handling of small animals including surgical preparation
• Plans, organizes, and accomplishes assignments
• Provide data analysis; assist with publications, and presentations in line with research efforts at varying times throughout the period of performance
• Conduct animal laboratory research in reference to established SEP/protocol/proposal while adhering to federal, state, and local statutes, rules, and regulations
• Laboratory work should be conducted in accordance with GLP, the Institute Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS)
• Contractor will assist with developing, writing, and maintenance of SOPs and protocols along with correspondence with the IRB to ensure compliance with all regulations set by the Individual Review Board (IRB), Department of Defense (DOD), World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Army Human Research Protection Office (AHRPO) and the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)
• Coordinates work to ensure smooth operation, proper delivery of services, and effective customer support
• Contractor shall comply with all Department of Defense, U.S. Army, USAISR and other Governmental regulatory requirements with special emphasis on safety and security
• Maintain SOPs for review and approval by Capability Area Manager and monitors compliance with DoD/Army safety procedures and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), Clinical Laboratory Improvement Program (CLIP), and the College of American Pathologist (CAP) regulations

Required Degree/Education/Certification

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college in biology, physiology, chemistry, or related field is required; however, animal research experience will be taken into consideration in lieu of a degree on a case-by-case basis.

Required Skills and Experience

• Two (2) years’ Experience working with small animals such as rodents, rabbits, and mice

Desired Skills and Experience

• Trauma related biomedical research in a DoD environment highly desired
• Some experience with benchwork is desired
• Any certification(s) through AALAS (i.e. - ALAT, LAT, and/or LATG) are a huge plus

Required Citizenship and Clearance

Candidates must be able to pass a favorable adjudicated National Agency Check with Inquiries