Research Asst 1, Pediatric Neonatology

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of diverse individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your diversity of culture, thinking, learning, and leading is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

Pediatrics Chair Department

Job Summary:

This position is an entry level RA to assist Dr. Noble’s laboratory needs. The Research Assistant I, under moderate supervision, will be expected to set up, conduct experiments, and continue research projects following protocols including appropriate recording of data and reporting of standard or variant results. The lab seeks to offer a dynamic and collaborative research environment, provide opportunities for authorship, and support diversity in science. The candidate will gain skills applicable across many fields of science and medicine.

Preferred applicants have the ability to learn new techniques and are willing to work with laboratory animals (mice) as part of infection models. Applicants will breed mice for timed pregnancy and harvest tissues after infection. Applicants will read and follow experimental protocols, prepare reagents, maintain mouse colonies and perform: calculations (molarity, % solutions and serial dilutions), ELISAs, and qPCR. Finally, applicants should have excellent communication skills, the ability to work under moderate supervision and a high level of motivation.

Preferred requirements:

• Commit to a minimum of 2 years of full-time employment. Those who wish to pursue medical school or a PhD in the future are welcome.
• Have experience working with animal models of disease
• Have experience with some of the following techniques: working with bacterial cultures, RNA extraction, qPCR, sterile cell culture, ELISA, fluorescent microscopy
• Have interests in infectious diseases, microbiology, host-pathogen interactions, reproductive health, or reproductive immunology

Key Responsibilities:

Experiments

• Daily recording of experimental procedures and results in a laboratory notebook
• Under moderate supervision, run experiments, assays, and record results
• Summarize test results appropriately
• Follow University safety protocols (may include use of combustibles, biologic agents, toxic material, and/or carcinogens)
• Perform calculations involving molarity, % solutions, and serial dilutions
• Prepare and operate equipment in experimental procedures including: centrifuge, pH meter, spectrophotometer, autoclave, electrophoresis unit, analytical balance, etc.
• Collaborate with core facilities, such as Cell Imaging Shared Resource, the Division of Animal Care, and the Translational Pathology Shared Resource
• Read and follow experimental protocols (including animal handling, tissue culture, etc.)
• Sample preparation for further analysis (microscopy or secondary measurement assays including ELISA)

Lab Maintenance

• Ensure Laboratory is prepared for experiments
• Maintain sterile conditions as required
• Maintain inventories and assist in ordering
• Clean equipment
• Prepare reagents

Data Analysis

• Prepare preliminary research progress reports
• Demonstrate an understanding of acceptable procedures and techniques
• Compile and communicate results to supervisor
• Recognize problems and suggest solutions
• Provide appropriate written documentation of experiments
• Assist in modifications as directed

Our Academic Enterprise is one of the nation’s longest serving and most prestigious academic medical centers. Through its historic bond with Vanderbilt University and integral role in the School of Medicine, Vanderbilt Health cultivates distinguished research and educational programs to advance a clinical enterprise that provides compassionate and personalized care and support for millions of patients and family members each year.

World-leading academic departments and comprehensive centers of excellence pursue scientific discoveries and transformational educational and clinical advances across the entire spectrum of health and disease.

Aligning with Vanderbilt Health’s Strategic Directions, the Office of Research provides shared research resources, administrative expertise and professional guidance to enable the trans-disciplinary environment and highly collaborative culture that advances discovery and training for all the research faculty, trainees, students and staff.

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Delivers job responsibilities that impact own job area/team with some guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Uses existing procedures, research and analysis to solve standard job related problems that may require some judgement. Breadth of Knowledge: Requires subject matter knowledge within a professional area to meet job requirements. Team Interaction: Individually contributes to project/ work teams.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Continuously improves own skills by identifying development opportunities.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Seeks to understand colleagues priorities, working styles and develops relationships across areas. - Communicates Effectively: Openly shares information with others and communicates in a clear and courteous manner. Delivering Excellent Services: - Serves Others with Compassion: Invests time to understand the problems, needs of others and how to provide excellent service. - Solves Complex Problems: Seeks to understand issues, solves routine problems, and raises proper concerns to supervisors in a timely manner. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Listens carefully to understand the issues and provides accurate information and support. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Checks work quality before delivery and asks relevant questions to meet quality standards.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Shows eagerness to learn new knowledge, technologies, tools or systems and displays willingness to go above and beyond. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Demonstrates basic knowledge of conditions that affect safety and reports unsafe conditions to the appropriate person or department. Managing Resources Effectively :- Demonstrates Accountability: Takes responsibility for completing assigned activities and thinks beyond standard approaches to provide high-quality work/service. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Displays understanding of how personal actions will impact departmental resources. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Uses accurate information and good decision making to consistently achieve results on time and without error. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Willingly proposes/accepts ideas or initiatives that will impact day-to-day operations by offering suggestions to enhance them.- Applies Technology: Absorbs new technology quickly; understands when to utilize the appropriate tools and procedures to ensure proper course of action. - Adapts to Change: Embraces changes by keeping an open mind to changing plans and incorporates change instructions into own area of work.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications :

Work Experience :

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level :

Less than 1 year

Education :

Bachelor's

Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and to the principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. EOE/AA/Women/Minority/Vets/Disabled