UNIV - Research Specialist III - Pharmacology & Immunology

About the role

The Paczesny Laboratory in the Hollings Cancer Center and the Department of Pharmacology and Immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina is seeking a Research Specialist III. Our laboratory focuses on in vivo murine models and human clinical samples to study immunity and tolerance in myeloid malignancies and hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT).

Responsibilities

• Perform routine handling of mice including monitoring, treatments, and experimental procedures (20%)
• Aid with breeding, colony management, and genotyping of transgenic (20%)
• Maintain accurate animal records and ensure compliance with institutional animal care and biosafety protocols (20%)
• Aid with intravenous and intraperitoneal injections of novel therapeutics (cellular or antibody-based) (20%)
• Perform immunologic experiments on murine models (e.g., harvest organ, digest, flow cytometry, confocal, etc) (20%)
• Immunology experimentation employing various techniques, including isolation and purification of T cells, and regulatory T cells (10%)
• Sort T cells and other hematopoietic or immune cells (10%)
• Maintain cell lines; viability, cytotoxicity assay; transfection and infection, etc (10%)
• Prepare patients' samples per lab good practice and perform immunologic experiments (e.g., high-throughput ELISA, flow cytometry, etc) (15%)
• These responsibilities include receiving or shipping samples, organizing them, and storing them in freezer following lab established freezer maps (15%)
• Thaw precious plasma or PBMCs patients' samples following rigorous protocols and perform sequential ELISA or flow cytometry and analysis (15%)
• Assist with daily lab operations including routine maintenance of and experimentation in mice (15%)
• Assist with daily lab operations including stocking consumable items and reagents, making buffers, and aliquoting reagents (15%)
• Fill liquid nitrogen to keep frozen cells alive (15%)
• Autoclave the biologic trash and prepare and maintain lab work (e.g., fill and autoclave tips, clean hood and incubator) (15%)
• Facilitate general maintenance of the research space by working with MUSC to ensure that the laboratory area is maintained and that repairs, waste disposal, and cleaning needs are addressed in a timely manner (15%)
• Records and analyzes results of research experiments (15%)
• Additional duties assigned by the Principal Investigator (5%)

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology, or other natural, life or health care science directly related to the assigned area of research and two years advanced journel-level work experience in a clinical or research setting (20%)
• Must have previous experience in a laboratory (20%)
• Strong organizational, record keeping, interpersonal and communication skills required (20%)
• Must be able to perform complex calculations, to follow complicated experimental procedures and methods and develop independence with tasks and experiments (20%)
• Prior experience working with patients' samples handling as well as mice handling, and flow cytometry is valued (20%)
• Some weekend, holidays and/or evenings may be required (20%)
• Must be organized and have attention to details (20%)
• All personnel are expected to maintain laboratory notebooks and store all the data in the lab shared drive (20%)

Physical Requirements

• Ability to perform job functions in an upright position (Frequent)
• Ability to perform job functions in a seated position (Continuous)
• Ability to perform job functions while walking/mobile (Frequent)
• Ability to climb, using step stool (Infrequent)
• Ability to work in temperature extremes (32° F to 100° F) when required due to assignments in cold rooms and/or foreign countries (Infrequent)
• Ability to work in confined/cramped spaces (Continuous)
• Ability to bend at the waist (Frequent)
• Ability to twist at the waist (Frequent)
• Ability to fully use both hands/arms (Continuous)
• Ability to perform repetitive motions with hands/wrists/elbows and shoulders (Frequent)
• Ability to fully use both legs (Frequent)
• Ability to reach in all directions, stretch, bend, while moving items/materials from both sitting and standing positions (Frequent)
• Ability to maintain good olfactory sensory function/distinction (Continuous)
• Ability to lift materials up to 20 lbs., unassisted (Infrequent)
• Ability to lift and carry 4 liter waste material bottles a distance of 30 feet, unassisted (Frequent)
• Ability to lift and carry 25-30 lbs. jugs of liquid a distance of 100 feet, unassisted (Infrequent)
• Ability to lift file boxes, from floor level to counter tops, unassisted (Frequent)
• Ability to push/pull file boxes from one location to another at floor level (Frequent)
• Ability to maneuver heavy equipment on bench tops, 50 lbs. or greater, unassisted (Frequent)
• Ability to perform gross motor functions with frequent fine motor movements (Continuous)
• Ability to maintain 20/40 vision, corrected, in one eye or with both eyes (Continuous)
• Ability to match or discriminate between colors, normally (Continuous)
• Ability to hear and recognize various alarms emitting from work area systems (Continuous)
• Ability to hear and/or understand conversations (Continuous)
• Ability to work in a darkroom for processing film, etc. (Continuous)
• Ability to be qualified physically for respirator use, initially and annually (Continuous)

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology, or other natural, life or health care science directly related to the assigned area of research and two years advanced journel-level work experience in a clinical or research setting (20%)

Skills

• Strong organizational, record keeping, interpersonal and communication skills required (20%)
• Must be able to perform complex calculations, to follow complicated experimental procedures and methods and develop independence with tasks and experiments (20%)
• Prior experience working with patients' samples handling as well as mice handling, and flow cytometry is valued (20%)

Benefits

• Not specified

Pay

• Salary range: $52,100.00 - $88,600.00

Schedule

• 40 hours per week