Research Support

About the Role

The Lippmann Lab in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Vanderbilt University seeks an animal research specialist to support therapeutic endeavors involving delivery of hydrogels, siRNAs, proteins, and cells into the brain and periphery. This role will primarily focus on modeling, understanding, and treating neurodegeneration using multidisciplinary approaches spanning engineering, neuroscience, and regenerative medicine. Approximately 80% of the effort will support the Lippmann Lab, with the remaining 20% devoted to animal support for the Chapman Lab, which designs vaccines and therapeutics to engage B lymphocytes.

Learn more about our research at www.lippmannlab.com and www.thechapmanlab.com.

Responsibilities

• Perform intracerebroventricular (ICV), intra cisterna magna (ICM), and intrathecal injections of siRNA conjugates, as well as intraparenchymal injections of designer proteins and engineered cells (e.g., mesenchymal stromal cells, induced pluripotent stem cell-derived products).
• Administer injections of hydrogels, with or without engineered cells, into central and peripheral sites to assess therapeutic outcomes in collaboration with other research groups.
• Conduct procedures on healthy animals and those subjected to femoral artery ligation, femur fracture, or spinal fusion.
• Maintain mouse colonies, including breeding and genotyping of wildtype, transgenic, and immunocompromised strains, with detailed inventories tied to experimental timelines.
• Perform non-surgical animal procedures, including subcutaneous, intramuscular, intradermal, intravenous, and retro-orbital injections, as well as euthanasia and tissue harvesting.
• Establish murine models of autoimmune diseases such as pemphigus vulgaris, including active and passive models, and assist in establishing experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) models with behavioral muscle strength tests.
• Assist with animal-related lab operations, including maintaining survival surgery records, initiating and implementing IACUC protocol updates, and training other lab members on relevant techniques.

Requirements

• A master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., engineering, biology, chemistry, biochemistry) or equivalent experience.
• Experience in mouse survival surgery is required.
• Strong communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Diligence and commitment to maintaining high-quality records and safety standards.
• Willingness to train others in relevant techniques.