Senior Research Histology Technician

About the role

The Veterinary Medicine and Surgery department exists to serve UT MD Anderson research programs. Our primary aim is to provide the best possible veterinary care, facilities and services in support of the institutional animal care and use program, in keeping with all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) accreditation standards.

Responsibilities

• Specimen Collection, Handling, and Tissue Processing
  • Receive and accession specimens submitted to the laboratory or necropsy room
  • Prepare microscope slides of animal tissues for pathologist review
  • Perform necropsy, grossing, fixation, processing, embedding, sectioning, staining, and mounting of paraffin-embedded and frozen tissues
  • Perform special histology procedures as required by research protocols
  • Select and run appropriate controls for specific testing
  • Perform quality checks on all slides and verify controls prior to case sign-out
• Case Management and Archiving
  • Deliver completed cases as directed by pathologists or investigators
  • Archive wet tissues, slide files, paraffin blocks, and archive room records
  • Maintain cleanliness and organization of the archive room
• Documentation
  • Assign accession numbers to specimens and animals received
  • Ensure accurate specimen labeling and correct entry of submission data into electronic or manual logbooks
• Equipment and Area Maintenance
  • Perform routine and specialized maintenance on microtomes, cryostats, tissue processors, automated coverslippers, automated H&E stainers, and automated IHC stainers
  • Rotate assigned equipment maintenance duties to maintain laboratory-wide competence
• Operational Support
  • Communicate with personnel and investigators in a courteous and professional manner
  • Provide backup support for the Chief, Histology Laboratory as needed
  • Affiliate with daily task assignments, customer service issues, equipment troubleshooting, and final case revisions in iLab

Qualifications

• Required: Five years Histology Technician experience with required education or three years Histopathology experience within the last ten years under the supervision of a pathologist (certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology, or eligible) or an appropriately certified medical scientist with Associate's degree or one year required experience with successful completion of a National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS) accredited Histotechnician program
• Preferred: Previous hands-on experience in immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and assay optimization, digital slide scanning, and animal research

Skills

• Hands-on experience in immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and assay optimization
• Experience with digital slide scanning
• Experience with animal research

Benefits

• Employer-paid medical coverage starting day one for employees working 30+ hours/week, plus optional group dental, vision, life, AD&D, and disability insurance
• Accruals for PTO and Extended Illness Bank, plus paid holidays, wellness, childcare, and other leave options
• Tuition Assistance Program after six months of service and access to extensive wellness, fitness, and employee resource groups
• Defined-benefit pension through the Teachers Retirement System, voluntary retirement plans, and employer-paid life and reduced salary protection programs

Pay

The salary range is Minimum $32.21 - Midpoint $40.14 - Maximum $48.08 per hour, based on a 40-hour work week.

Schedule

The typical work schedule is Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:30pm.

Location

The work location is Texas Medical Center.

Why Us?

This role offers the opportunity to directly support groundbreaking cancer research through high-quality veterinary histology services while working in a collaborative and mission-driven environment. UT MD Anderson values professional growth, technical excellence, and work-life balance, providing a stable schedule, meaningful scientific impact, and long-term career development within one of the world's leading cancer research institutions.

Additional Information

The Senior Research Histology Technician provides technical expertise, coordination, administrative support and/or supervision in a histology research laboratory. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience in immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and assay optimization, digital slide scanning, and animal research. The ideal candidate will have one of the following qualifications: at least three years of histopathology experience within the past ten years under the supervision of a pathologist certified (or eligible) by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology or an equivalently certified medical scientist; or at least one year of relevant histopathology experience combined with successful completion of a NAACLS-accredited Histotechnician program and current active HT (ASCP) certification.