Laboratory Manager

Summary

The overarching goal of our laboratory is to understand how neurons and glia in our brain are organized into circuits that keep us alive, enable complex behaviors, and how these networks may be disrupted in diseases ranging from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of neonate death in the United States, to panic disorder, the most common mental illness in the United States, and even in COVID-19. Our lab is in an exciting expansion phase with multiple new funding awards from the NIH. Our lab utilizes novel, state of the art high throughput physiological assays for diagnostic and therapeutic discovery.

We are seeking highly motivated and well-organized lab manager with a strong scientific background, managerial and project management experience along with familiarity in industrial automation principles. https://www.bcm.edu/research/faculty-labs/russell-ray-lab https://molecularneurobiology.org.

Job Duties

• Plans and organizes administrative operations of the laboratory. 40%
  • Performs personnel management functions and supervises technical support staff.
  • Maintains lab oversight of supply inventory, procurement, and budget management.
  • Maintains lab oversight of institutional compliance and regulations.
  • Establishes procedures for management of the use of laboratory equipment including maintenance, repair, and inventory.
• Carries out independent experimental work. 40%
  • Handles animal physiological and behavioral testing
  • Maintains molecular assays including recombinant DNA cloning and PCR
  • Works with tissue histology and microscopy
  • Handles data analysis, and figure generation
• Performs mouse colony maintenance. 20%
  • Handles breeding and husbandry
  • Works with weaning and genotyping
• Supervises less experienced individuals (staff and trainees) in the lab for technical assistance where needed. This will include training on specific operating procedures, assays, and using the lab information management system.
• Supervises other staff in the lab in a day to day fashion to ensure quality work and that expectations are met.
• Provides input as needed for the general operation of the lab and staff performance
• Performs other job related duties as needed.
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a Basic Science or related field. Four years of related experience may substitute for degree requirement.
• Five years of relevant experience, with prior supervisory experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated individual with a Masters or PhD in neuroscience, physiology, molecular or cell biology, genetics or related field, with a strong understanding of mouse genetics.
• Three years of relevant experience typically as a Research Assistant, Research Technician or Postdoctoral Fellow/Associate.
• Experience/familiarity with biotech or industrialized high throughput processes and project management, good organizational skills, excellent record keeping, attention to detail.
• Demonstrable management experience and the ability to work well with others.
• Direct experience handling and working with genetically engineered lab mice.
• Experience with basic immunohistological laboratory techniques including tissue harvest and processing, thin section microscopy.
• Experience with basic molecular laboratory techniques including PCR, recombinant plasmid DNA.