Biological Scientist II

Classification Title:

Biological Scientist II

Job Description:

Th department of Neuroscience at the University of Florida, College of Medicine is looking for a candidate to join Dr. Chakrabarty lab.

Looking for candidates with experience in experimental rodent manipulation, including survival surgeries to join her lab. Candidate will also assist in the management a small-sized rodent colony for the PI. The candidate should possess basic molecular biology skills, such as DNA purification, cloning and familiarity with online tools for DNA analysis.

Additional preference will be given to candidates with experience in flow sorting. Knowledge of cell culture techniques is advantageous. Ability to independently evaluate, interpret, and review laboratory results and report findings in laboratory meetings will be required. The candidate will assist other lab members with troubleshooting and will be responsible for general lab maintenance (reagent inventory, lab equipment and supplies).

Duties Include:

Perform surgery and injections in rodents for experimental purposes, including pre-operative, intraoperative, and post-operative procedures. The candidate will also be responsible for maintenance of mouse colony including genotyping from tail snips using PCR techniques. This will require knowledge and experience for surgical techniques and familiarity with IACUC and AAALAS guidelines for ethical treatment of animals.

Perform cell biology experiments, including mammalian tissue culture and primary cell culture. Prior knowledge in maintaining and using HEK293T cells, SHSY5Y cells, mouse microglia and neuronal cultures is required. The candidate will need to adhere to UF EH&S regulations.

Perform basic molecular biology experiments, including cloning. Knowledge of DNA and RNA purification, restriction enzyme digestions and ligations will be required. Use of relevant software will be needed to plan these experiments.

Perform multicolor flow cytometry. Utilize flow cytometry techniques on brain and spleen tissues using antibodies will allow identification of immune cells that are part of rodent model characterization.

Perform calculations and maintain appropriate log books and lab notebooks; Will require use of Excel and GraphPad Prism for data analysis and Adobe Photoshop and Powerpoint for preparing final images, followed by effective communication to lab members. Appropriate knowledge of e-lab notebooks is preferred.

Instruct undergraduate students and lab personnel in laboratory methods and troubleshooting. This would require day-to-day supervision of wet bench experiments and data analysis. The candidate will also be responsible for introducing the trainees to IACUC, ACS and EH&S regulations before starting lab experiments.