Research Technician II - 162254
Environment:
The Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) is a multi-disciplinary research organization at Duke University focused on basic, translational and clinical research to develop novel vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for infectious diseases that impact global health. The Duke Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) is a division of the DHVI that supports a specific portfolio of research programs requiring enhanced biosafety and security.
The Duke RBL has three collaborative research units: Immunology, Virology, and Microbiology. These units directly support resident DHVI/RBL faculty and are also available to support Duke faculty and their collaborators as fee-for-service shared resources, and each unit provides users with safety/security training, animal model support and use of the Duke RBL containment environment
The RBL Virology Unit is recruiting a Research Technician II to support a multi-disciplinary team developing medical countermeasures and vaccines against emerging and re-emerging biothreats.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- General laboratory maintenance including but not limited to: waste processing, glassware cleaning, laboratory organization, preparation of solutions, ordering/preparation/stocking of consumables and reagents as needed, maintaining accurate inventory of refrigerator and freezer contents.
- Manage and complete assigned projects in accordance with standardized operating procedures and in full compliance with safety protocols.
- Perform virology, immunology, and serology assays as required for sample analysis of viral titer and cellular/humoral responses. Previous experience with mammalian cell culture preferred.
- Required to fully perform all tasks associated with animal models of viral infection in multiple species including but not limited to mouse, rabbit, and ferret.
- Complete and maintain necessary documentation of research activities in real time according to standardized record-keeping procedures using written and electronic methods (i.e. electronic notebooks). Attention to detail is imperative.
- Independently schedule and prepare assays in advance with guidance from the manager.
- Collect and organize raw data into reports for interpretation and analysis.
- Perform additional duties as requested by direct supervisor, Virology Facility Manager, and Scientific/Administrative Directors.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
The successful applicant must be eligible for and willing to:
- Complete external certification for independent work at BSL3 and ABSL3
- Work with infectious biological agents (viruses) handled at BSL2 and BSL3
- Work with small animals handled at ABSL2 and ABSL3
- Comply with vaccination requirements, including seasonal influenza vaccine
- Complete Tier 1 Select Agent registration
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Education: Work generally requires a bachelor's degree in botany, biology, zoology, psychology or other directly related scientific field.
- Experience: None required above education/training requirement. OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE