Research Assistant I NEUROLOGY kl

About the Role

The candidate will work independently under the supervision of a senior researcher in the Khurana lab. The role will involve molecular biology focused bench work and development/optimization of assays for viability/toxicity in iPSC derived neurons.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintenance, passaging, cataloguing, and culturing of iPSC cells.
• Differentiation iPSCs to neurons and glia and aging of these cultures.
• Maintenance of Attune flow cytometry and ordering related reagents.
• Measuring and scheduling of longitudinal imaging with Incucyte and Nikon Biostation microscope.
• Maintenance of HEK293 cells, generation of stable cell lines.
• Assisting with molecular cloning; Gibson assembly, gateway cloning, mini/maxi preps.
• Analysis of data from western blot/ microscopy/ flow cytometry.
• Maintaining excellent lab note-keeping habits (mostly digital, e.g., LabArchives) and generating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Excellent organizational skills, including labeling of experiments and file management.
• Reporting daily to the immediate supervisor and weekly to the Principal Investigator.
• Interacting with junior and senior lab members to troubleshoot experiments.
• Sharing lab duties with other technicians.
• Responsible for data collection, management, manipulation, analysis, and reporting.
• Study cohort management.
• Outreach communication with subjects, conducting mailings, follow-up on mailings, and obtaining necessary documents.
• Providing assistance on work related to epidemiological studies and other population-based research.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Molecular biology focused bench work.
• Development and optimization of assays for viability/toxicity in iPSC derived neurons.
• Techniques including flow cytometry, longitudinal imaging of neurons, plate-based live cell and calorimetric assays, and western blotting.
• LabArchives for digital note-keeping.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Science required.
• Experience may be accepted in lieu of a degree.

Experience

• New grad with some relevant coursework: 0-1 year preferred.
• Good cell culture experience with human cells (HEK293 or any other immortalized line).
• iPSC stem cell culture experience is a plus but not required.
• Excellent cell culture practice/sterile techniques are necessary.

Skills & Abilities

• Medium to high level of computer literacy.
• Basic understanding of statistical concepts.
• Basic understanding of molecular techniques, microscopy, flow cytometry is desired.
• Understanding of basic molecular concepts: molecular cloning, western blot, RNA isolation, qPCR, western blot is desired.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize a variety of tasks.
• Excellent data management skills and attention to detail.
• Good presentation skills are a plus.
• Computer literacy, including database tools.
• Ability to follow directions and exhibit professionalism.
• Diligent, highly organized, and collegial.