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Junior Specialist- Haj Lab

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Position description

Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis, is currently seeking a Junior Specialist, at 100% time for the duration of 12 months starting July 1, 2020, with the possibility of reappointment depending on funding.

The position of Junior Specialist has a focus in a specialized area and provides technical or specialized expertise in the planning and execution of a research project. The Junior Specialist stays apprised of the research area and maintains technical competence in the designated area(s) of specialization. The role of this position is to provide specialized expertise in murine models of metabolic disease, molecular biology, and metabolomics for the Fawaz Haj laboratory located on the UC Davis campus. The Junior Specialist will be actively and significantly engaged in research involving in-vivo murine, cellular and biochemical studies investigating pancreatic islet biology and the molecular mechanism regulating insulin secretion. The Jr. Specialist is responsible for designing and carrying out experiments, maintaining mouse colonies, collecting and processing biological samples and research data, and help maintaining equipment and inventory in the lab. The focus of the research is elucidating the molecular mechanism of pancreatic islet function and regulation of insulin secretion and action.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

I. RESEARCH IN SPECIALIZED AREAS (90%)
A. The Junior Specialist will use their academic and professional expertise to make scientific contributions to a research study and will contribute to publish research. Under the general direction of the Principal Investigator, the Junior Specialist will collaborate with other research personnel in the Haj laboratory and collaborating laboratories. The focus of the research is elucidating the molecular mechanism of pancreatic islet function and the regulation of insulin secretion and action.
B. The Junior Specialist will be actively and significantly engaged in research involving in-vivo murine studies that include generation of mouse colonies and study cohorts and their comprehensive metabolic phenotyping. Also, expertise in the isolation and culture of primary murine islets and performing ex vivo insulin secretion studies is needed. The Jr. Specialist is responsible for designing and execution of experiments, collecting biological samples and processing research data, and maintaining equipment and inventory in the lab. Biochemical research will be executed using a variety of techniques and instruments, including qPCR, western blotting, ELISA kit, immunohistochemistry, cell culture including primary islets isolation and culture, and animal experiments.
C. The Junior Specialist will be responsible for maintaining mouse colonies, including setting up breeding, genotyping of the mice, following IACUC animal protocols.
D. The Junior Specialist will analyze metabolic, biochemical and metabolomics data using various computer-based tools such as MS Office Suite, and advanced statistical software such as R and JMP. The Junior Specialist will complete raw data analysis, data summary, interpretation, and report preparation.

II. PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY (5%)

A. Participate in appropriate professional societies or groups in the field related to the research subject.
B. Organize the contributions to journal manuscripts and publications prior to submission. Offer technical and creative contributions to the manuscript preparation.
C. The Junior Specialist will conduct literature searches for articles relevant to the research topic, engage in discussions of data with the Principal Investigators, and contribute to manuscript preparation and presentation of research findings.
Ill. UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE (5%)
A. Mentor undergraduates or student interns at the Haj laboratory.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
• Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition, Molecular Biology, Physiology, or a related field.
• Knowledge and skills of animal (mice and rats) handling including basic surgical skills (such as tissue and blood sample collection, oral gavage) as well as comprehensive metabolic phenotyping skills (such as fed and fasted metabolic parameters, insulin tolerance tests, glucose tolerance tests, in vivo glucose-stimulated insulin secretion tests).
• Knowledge and skills in ex-vivo pancreatic islet experiment including the isolation, culture and functional studies to evaluate glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Also, knowledge and skills in standard biochemical approaches (Western blotting, PCR).
• Knowledge and skills working with Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), statistical software such as R, JMP.
• Knowledge and skills to conduct literature searches and reviews on topics relevant to the research.

Requirements
• Curriculum Vitae - Required
• Cover Letter – Required
• Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Optional

QUESTIONS: Please direct questions to Dr. Fawaz Haj, fghaj@ucdavis.edu.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action, policy see http://policy.ucop.edu/dod4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct.
Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UCSC positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.
UC Davis is a smoke & tobacco-free campus (http://breathfree.ucdavis.edu/.)

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Cover Letter

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion documented in the application file will be used to evaluate applicants. Visit https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/faculty-equity-and-inclusion for guidelines about writing a statement and why one is requested.
    (Optional)

Reference requirements
  • 3-5 required (contact information only)
2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Diversity 2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Women

Job location

Davis, CA