Summary

The Department of Radiation Oncology at Baylor College of Medicine is seeking motivated research technician to assist in the efforts to find better treatments for patients with cancer. This position is intended to provide experimental support for work in the laboratory of Dr. Rutulkumar Patel, leveraging mouse models of head and neck cancer, and molecular techniques, to study important problems in the fields of cancer research and radiation biology. For some experiments, a group of mice will need to be assessed each day, including weekends.  This responsibility will be shared with other members of the lab.

Job Duties

• Maintains an organized and complete lab notebook of experiments that are performed and any mouse colony work performed.
• Performs PCR, RT-PCR, and Western blots to characterize cell lines, tumor tissues, and mouse tissues.
• Conducts mouse husbandry, that includes breeding/weaning mice and maintains an organized documentation of mouse colony.
• Induces tumors in mice, treats mice (administering radiation therapy and/or drugs), monitors mice for tumor growth, general health, etc., and provides supportive care.
• Performs immunohistochemical or immunofluorescent staining of tissues and imaging/quantifying slides.
• Propagates cells in cell culture and perform in vitro viability assays and clonogenic assays.
• Meets or communicates by e-mail with your supervisor on a regular basis to plan experiments, troubleshoot problems, and discuss results.
• Participates in regular lab meetings to discuss results and/or relevant articles in the literature.
• Assists in recruiting new lab members by informing them about the lab and your research.
• Helps maintain reagents or equipment in the laboratory with specific jobs, that includes tasks like making cell dissociation buffer, 70% ethanol, etc.
• Contributes to a collegial environment for the laboratory.
• Sets up instruments, materials, and apparatus and operates standard laboratory equipment required for specific tests.
• Prepares culture media, chemicals, reagents, and solutions.  
• Assists in the development and optimization of new research procedures and techniques.

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate's degree in a Basic Science or related field. Two years of related experience may substitute for degree requirement.
• One year of relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• One or two years of laboratory experience especially working with mice.