Research Assistant 2 - Allergy, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine

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 :

Allergy, Pulmonary and Critica

Job Summary :

The successful candidate should have a minimum of one-year hands-on experience of working with murine models of diseases.

The Research Assistant 2 (RA2) will be responsible for working with mice. This includes : breeding and maintaining mice colonies, treatment via intraperitoneal or subcutaneous injections, blood collections and blood processing, harvesting organs for protein and total RNA extraction.

The candidate should be familiar with analytical assays including : determination of cytokine / chemokine levels by cytometric bead arrays (CBA) or ELISA, Co-Immunoprecipitation (CoIP), determination of cytosolic and nuclear protein levels by Western Blot (WB).

They should, also, possess good interpersonal communication skills, a strong work ethic, and ability to work independently as well as a strong interest in research.

Candidate should be able to keep up to date records, process and analyze data using available software (e.g. GraphPad Prism, MS Excel), and prepare figures and tables for presentation.

The candidate is expected to assist in other laboratory and research functions, which includes operating and maintaining laboratory equipment : centrifuges, pH meters, spectrophotometer, autoclave, electrophoresis units, analytical balance, cell culture hoods, and incubators.

Successful candidate will, also, perform basic laboratory operations; maintain cell culture room, refrigerator, and cold room space.

Department Summary :

Welcome to the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Our mission is to :

Deliver world-class clinical care to patients with allergic diseases, pulmonary

conditions, and critical illness through employing a collaborative, multi-

disciplinary approach

Lead in the development of cutting-edge, patient-focused research that

extends from basic discoveries to clinical implementation

Provide state-of-the-art education and training to inspire and nurture the next

generation of leaders in allergy and immunology, pulmonary and critical care

medicine, and interventional pulmonology

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Understand and follow experimental protocols (including tissue culture and animal handling), record, compile, and report data, analyze and interpret results.

Under moderate supervision plan and prepare experimental protocols, perform and evaluate experiments.

Under moderate supervision work with mouse models.

Under minimal supervision perform experimental assays using cell culture techniques.

Perform calculations involving molarity, % concentration (v / v, m / v) and serial dilutions.

Perform various immunologic assays including CBA, ELISA, WB, CoIP.

Maintain well-organized documentation and databases of analyzed samples collected from multiple studies.

Maintain sterile conditions as required, prepare reagents, and clean equipment.

Assist in laboratory operation and inventory maintenance.

Provide appropriate written documentation of experiments and maintain up to date lab notebook.

Prepare preliminary research progress reports.

Conduct laboratory maintenance duties as needed.

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.

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 : Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area / team with occasional guidance.

Problem Solving / Complexity of work : Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge : Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area.

Team Interaction : Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues : - Develops Self and Others : Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self / others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.

• Builds and Maintains Relationships : Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.
• Communicates Effectively : Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences.

Delivering Excellent Services : - Serves Others with Compassion : Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.

• Solves Complex Problems : Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.
• Offers Meaningful Advice and Support : Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness.

Ensuring High Quality : - Performs Excellent Work : Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.

• Ensures Continuous Improvement : Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them.
• Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements : Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring.

Managing Resources Effectively : - Demonstrates Accountability : Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.

• Stewards Organizational Resources : Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department / area.
• Makes Data Driven Decisions : Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities.

Fostering Innovation : - Generates New Ideas : Proactively identifies new ideas / opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.

• Applies Technology : Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.
• Adapts to Change : Views difficult situations and / or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications :

Responsibilities : Certifications :

Certifications : Work Experience :

Work Experience :

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level : 2 years

2 years

Education : Bachelor's

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