Duke University, Psychology and Neuroscience

Position ID:Duke-P&N-RESASSOC_MCHENRYLAB [#19074]
Position Title: Research Associate
Position Type:Other
Position Location:Durham, North Carolina 27708-0999, United States [map] sort by distance
Subject Area: Neuroscience / Systems neuroscience
Appl Deadline:2021/09/30 11:59PMhelp popup finished (2021/07/30, finished 2021/10/29, listed until 2021/09/30)
Position Description:    

*** this position has been closed and new applications are no longer accepted. ***

Position Summary 

The McHenry Lab at Duke University (https://www.mchenry-lab.org) is seeking to hire a full-time motivated Research Associate to work in the lab. The lab uses state-of-the-art technology in mouse models, to study neural circuits that regulate social and emotional processing, with translation relevance to a range of human conditions, including autism and mood disorders. The lab is committed to producing science of high quality/rigor/reproducibility; maintaining a diverse/inclusive and positive/collegial environment; and a strong commitment to advancing science forward using ambitious methods and innovative techniques. The lab position is open for immediate occupancy. Initial appointment will be for one year, with renewal based on grant support and success in the position. The candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to scientific experiments and the publication of results. 

The applicant must be detail-oriented, proactive, well-organized, consistent, and able to self-manage multiple and changing priorities as needed to move experiments and the research program forward, in a fast-paced environment. The candidate must be receptive to instruction and feedback with attention to detail and proactively follow up after meetings to meet lab agendas/goals in a timely manner to see tasks through to completion with high quality. The candidate must be flexible, efficient, and willing to function in a high-paced environment and deal with a range of personalities and staff / students at various career stages. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a strong commitment to research and work ethic, and a positive attitude are required for this team-based environment. The associate must conduct themselves in a professional manner, respond promptly to requests, adhere to standard procedures and expectations set forth by the lab, maintain clear and reproducible lab records, be honest/ethical/transparent in all animal and experimental work performed, be respectful and inclusive of all coworkers/colleagues in this diverse work environment. 

Importantly, due to the nature of the specialized technical and animal research needs and live animal care, an atypical schedule is required, as detailed below and weekend work is included as part of a regular working schedule, with flexibility outside of required timed tasks. 

Work Performed 

This role will cover the following 3 main components: 
Part I. Scientific research and leadership: 
  • Lab research support: Perform experiments, project organization, source data record archive organization, and analysis guided by the research grants and labs research program including but not limited animal procedures, behavioral testing, molecular and histological techniques, various tissue processing and clearing methods, various surgeries, microscopy. Will assist in pilots, troubleshooting, creating and revising SOP templates, proof of concept, and replicating results. 
  • Work with students and trainees on the acquisition and oversight of technical and analytical aspects of the research project and assist with scientific development of the projects and mentees. Closely collaborate and mentor individuals at all levels (e.g., undergraduates, postbacc techs, grad students, postdocs). 
  • Coordinate and provide daily oversight and supervision of mentees experiments and coordinate undergrad research teams and projects. 
Part II. Grant and project management: 

  • Collect and organize new results from lab members into various forms in a reproducible manner with clear records and high-quality visualization and appropriate statistics for presentation in various formats (e.g., grant applications, progress reports, manuscripts, posters, and talks). 
  • Assist in proposal writing, figures, and revisions for grant and peer reviewed science documents. 
  • Assist in managing purchases and financial documents for grants and start up budgets. 
 Part III. Laboratory management and coordination:

  • Develop and maintain protocols and SOPs and provide oversight and updates as needed. 
  • Onboard and train new members. 
  • Coordinate access to equipment for lab members and provide oversight and checks to ensure proper working order, protocols, and general standards of a clean organized work area and coordinate maintenance/repairs. 
  • Support trainees in a day-to-day technical training and troubleshooting for various experimental and analytical research activities of common techniques. 
  • Coordinate purchasing and inventory of lab supplies and purchase orders. 
  • Maintain sufficient inventory of material, supplies. Maintain lab website and coordinate lab meetings and events. 
  • Serve as the point contact for all safety and animal protocol and procedures, maintain up to date protocols in lab and in written/electronic formats, modify existing protocols, onboard, train and oversee others on day-to-day animal and safety procedures to ensure standards are in order; oversee inspections and corrections when needed. Ensure lab members stay up to date on all trainings and documentation needed for protocols. This includes protocols for controlled substances used for animal procedures as maintained by the lab and PI.
  • Confer with all lab members, including principal investigator, postdocs, and students, to manage day-to-day aspects of the lab and ongoing experiments, perform technical and animal procedures for data collection, data entry, data processing / basic analysis, lab website, physical/electronic records, schedules, and help maintain proper order of physical testing space/equipment. 
  • Oversee mouse colony and genetic mouse line breeding activities, including daily health checks, breeding, weaning, genotyping, supportive care, euthanasia, and record entries and updating. Coordinate between DLAR and lab staff to maintain proper animal care procedures. 
Due to the nature of the specialized needs of the live animal colony and advanced technical procedures, regular work falls outside of normal business hours and some holidays. This will typically include a regular animal colony check on one weekend day per week. Flexibility outside of required timed animal and experimental work is provided and schedule will be set by a discussion between the associate and the PI prior to hire to ensure expectations are suitable for the individual and the labs needs. 

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified. 

Minimum Required Qualifications 
  • Education: The applicant must hold a Ph.D. degree in Neuroscience, preferred focus in Social Neurobiology, Basic Animal Research. 
  • Experience: Preference for someone with at least three years of postdoctoral experience working in a neuroscience animal research setting related to social or motivated reward processing systems. Prior demonstrated ability for a variety of neuroscience techniques to include rodent behavior testing, rodent surgery, histology/tissue sectioning and processing, perfusions, rodent restraint and manipulation, microscopy, analysis, manuscript publications, statistical and data analysis. Some computer programming in Python and or MATLAB and web design experience is a plus. 
To apply, submit a brief cover letter explaining your goals, timeline, and fit for this position, current CV, and 2 references from most recent supervisors of most recent positions, including their email contact info. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Immediate occupancy desired.


Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.


Application Materials Required:
Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:

Further Info:
https://www.mchenry-lab.org
email address
 
417 Chapel Drive
Box 90086
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708-0086