Child Health Research Center, Lab Specialist (Various Levels) University of Virginia

The Child Health Research Center in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia is seeking applicants for a Lab Specialist (Various Levels) to work in the laboratories of Drs. Ariel Gomez and Maria Luisa Sequeira-Lopez. The Lab Specialist will work closely with the PIs and other lab members to support research projects that rely on a variety of mouse and cell culture models. The lab focuses on plasticity and fate of the renin cells, morphogenesis of the kidney, renal vascular development and disease.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Perform a variety of experimental procedures (e.g. standard molecular biology, tissue processing, histochemical assays, bright-field and fluorescence microscopy).
• Assist in evaluation of research methods, procedures, and techniques based on established objectives.
• Prepare stock solutions and other reagents. Be available to assist other investigators in the lab as needed.
• Assist in maintaining the laboratory mouse colony (plan breeding schemes, setup and send samples for genotyping, maintain a database of all the animals in the colony) and planning and execution of experiments involving mice.
• Assist in collecting tissues from mice.
• Prepare/submit animal protocol revisions/modifications in accordance with IACUC policies.
• Participate in weekly lab meetings.
• Assist in monitoring laboratory equipment, ordering reagents and supplies, and in the general organization of the laboratory. Interact with scientific supplies and equipment vendors to determine appropriate products to purchase.
• Maintain adequate inventory of scientific supplies. Plan for future needs and purchases.
• Help train new lab members and visiting scientists and students.
• In addition to the above job responsibilities, other duties may be assigned.

Required skills include:
• Ability to analyze and organize work procedures; plan and execute tasks or experiments; and interpret and report findings.
• Meticulous attention to detail and good organizational skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent work ethic and above-average productivity.
• Flexible thinking and ability to learn new skills.
• Good math skills.
• Prior lab experience.

Qualified candidates must have:

Laboratory Specialist
Education: Bachelor's degree.
Experience: 3 years of experience. 6 years of experience accepted in lieu of degree.

Laboratory Specialist Intermediate
Education: Bachelor's degree.
Experience: 6 years of experience in a lab technician role. Master's degree may substitute for required experience. 9 years of experience accepted in lieu of degree.

Laboratory Specialist Senior
Education: Bachelor's degree.
Experience: 9 years of experience in a lab technician role. May substitute with Master's or Terminal degree plus 4 years of experience in a lab technician role and supervisory experience. 12 years of experience accepted in lieu of degree.

Preferred Experience:
Experience in any of the following techniques will be advantageous:
• Processing and staining of mouse tissues, cell culture assays, flow cytometry, rodent-based assays, and/or maintenance of mouse colonies.
• Cell culture, and basic molecular biology (e.g.RNA and DNA isolation, qPCR) and biochemical techniques.
• Experience with GraphPad Prism, R, and/or other statistical software.

Physical Demands:

This position can spend extensive periods of time standing and squatting while conducting experiments or caring for animals. Also requires keyboarding and other bench work and animal procedures requiring finer finger manipulation.

The Lab Specialist will report to Dr. Ariel Gomez.

This position is located in Charlottesville, VA.

This position is a restricted position and is dependent upon project need, availability of funding and performance.

For more information on the benefits at UVA, visit hr.virginia.edu/benefits

Review of Applicants will begin on April 25, 2022, but the position will remain open until filled.

The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment. A completed pre-employment health screen is required for this position prior to employment.

To Apply:
Please apply through Workday, and search for R0035136 Child Health Research Center, Lab Specialist (Various Levels) University of Virginia (Open). Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching 'Find Jobs'. Complete an application online with the following documents:
• CV
• Cover letter
Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.

References will be completed via UVA’s standardized process Skill Survey. A total of five references will be requested via Skill Survey during the final phase of the interview process.

For questions about the application process, please contact Christi Maguire, Academic Recruiter, at clm8sd@virginia.edu

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/

COVID Vaccination Requirement and Guidelines

Please visitthe UVA COVID-19 Job Requirements and Guidelines webpageprior to applying for current information regarding vaccination requirementsandguidelines for employment at UVA.

The University of Virginia, i ncluding the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.