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Junior/Assistant Specialist - Loots Lab

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Position overview

Salary range: A reasonable estimate for this position is $49,000-$63,000.

Position description

Histopathology

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UC Davis Health, Loots Lab, has an opening for a histopathology specialist to participate in biomedical research conducting histopathology, immunohistochemistry on tissue sections, and cellular preparations of homogenized tissues for sorting or sequencing applications. The position will serve in the Specialist series with a Junior or Assistant rank. The candidate will work in a highly integrated environment as part of a multi-disciplinary team to develop, optimize, characterize, and validate methods for assessing protein and gene expression using 10X Genomics and CosMx NanoString technology platforms in the context of several models of human diseases including cancer, post-traumatic osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. The work combines basic histology techniques including, tissue harvesting and microdissection, fixation, dehydration, sectioning, staining, imaging and image processing. Ensures tissue and cytology specimens are properly processed for histopathology, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization or spatial transcriptomics. This position will also include cellular analysis of tissues of interest via flow cytometry and/or single cell sequencing.

The position will work under the direction of Dr. Gabriela Loots in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

This recruitment is conducted at the Junior or Assistant rank. The resulting hire will be at the Junior or Assistant rank, regardless of the proposed appointee's qualifications.

Essential Duties

  • Assist with tissue collection, fixation and embedding. Develop protocols and procedures for both soft (lung, tumors, etc) and hard tissues (bones, cartilage) using different fixation techniques (paraffin and OCT).
  • Generate tissue sections by operating microtome, cryotome, and/or vibrotome, depending on tissue type and analyses required by active projects.
  • Stain sectioned tissue with various histological stains (Safranin O, Trichrome, H&E Von Kossa), image tissue, annotate images with relevant information.
  • Optimize antibody selection for use in immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of fixed and sectioned tissues, process protein/gene expression analysis using CosMX Nanostring and Visium 10X instrument. Conduct IHCs and image protein expression. Troubleshoot initial results and optimize multi-color imaging to visualize several different proteins in the same tissue section.
  • Optimize and prepare tissue sections for spatial transcriptomics and other 10X genomics technologies
  • Optimize tissue digests for single cell sequencing or fluorescently activated cell sorting (FACS)
  • Prepare single cell suspensions for single cell RNA sequencing
  • Maintain an accurate and detailed laboratory journal.
  • Ensure all experiments are performed within ES&H safety guidelines and that waste from all experiments is characterized and disposed of properly.
  • Occasional weekend work and/or additional hours during the week may be required to follow through on ongoing experiments.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Research in Specialized Areas (95% effort)

  • Participate in biomedical research conducting histopathology, immunohistochemistry on tissue sections, and cellular preparations of homogenized tissues for sorting or sequencing applications.

Professional Competence and Activity (3%)

  • May participate in appropriate professional/technical societies or groups and other educational and research organizations.
  • May review research proposals, journal manuscripts, and publications related to area of expertise.

University and Public Service (2% effort)

  • May maintain liaison and respond to the needs of various industry organizations, state and federal agencies, and other external groups on issues related to area of expertise.
  • May participate in activities of meetings/committees within the department, college, campus and other University entities, as appropriate.

Number of positions Available: 1

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

Junior Specialist

  • Candidates must possess a recent B.S. in molecular and cell biology, anatomy, physiology, genetics or related field.
  • Some experience with or working knowledge of antibody based immunological assays, including ELISA, FACS, immunohistochemistry, etc.
  • Knowledge of typical molecular biology laboratory instruments.
  • Proficient interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills necessary to effectively collaborate in a team environment with a diverse technical staff.
  • Ability to multi-task with a team on multiple time constrained projects.
  • Ability and desire to learn new techniques
  • Ability to follow standard laboratory protocols and ES&H safety procedures.
  • Experience using personal computers, Excel and PowerPoint applications.
  • Analytical, record-keeping and organizational skills necessary for working in a laboratory environment.

Assistant Specialist

  • Candidates must possess a recent M.S. in molecular and cell biology, anatomy, physiology, genetics or related field.
  • More than 1 year of experience with or working knowledge of antibody based immunological assays, including ELISA, FACS, immunohistochemistry, etc.
  • Knowledge of typical molecular biology laboratory instruments.
  • Proficient interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills necessary to effectively collaborate in a team environment with a diverse technical staff.
  • Ability to multi-task with a team on multiple time constrained projects.
  • Ability and desire to learn new techniques
  • Ability to follow standard laboratory protocols and ES&H safety procedures.
  • Experience using personal computers, Excel and PowerPoint applications.
  • Analytical, record-keeping and organizational skills necessary for working in a laboratory environment.
Preferred qualifications (other preferred, but not required, qualifications for the position)
  • Experience with small rodent husbandry
  • Experience with tissue harvesting and fixation protocols
  • Experience with immunohistochemistry techniques, imaging and image processing.
  • Experience with a broad range of molecular biological techniques and ability to adapt and troubleshoot new methods for difficult samples.
  • Experience with ImageJ and FlowJo

Application Requirements

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

  • Cover Letter

  • Statement of Research (Optional)

  • Statement of Teaching (Optional)

  • 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)
Apply link: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF05414

Help contact: suntalasco@ucdavis.edu

About UC Davis

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).

We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals’ with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/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 UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is committed to inclusive excellence by advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do. UC Davis celebrates the multi-cultural diversity of its community by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment demonstrated through a variety of resources and programs available to academics, staff, and students. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are core values of UC Davis that are embedded within our Principles of Community and are tied with how to best serve our student population. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can best be fully realized by members of our academic community who share our commitment to these values, which are included in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision, our strategic plan: “To Boldly Go,” our Principles of Community, the Office of Academic Affairs’ Mission Statement, and the UC Board of Regents Policy 4400: Policy on University of California Diversity Statement. UC Davis is making important progress towards our goal of achieving federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers a plethora of resources on their website, and the Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (HEDI) has outlined similar goals in their Anti-Racism and DEI Action Plan.” There are a plethora of links available on the About Us webpage where you can learn more about our Administration, Diversity and Inclusion, Rankings, Locations, Native American Land Acknowledgement, Sustainability, Visiting UC Davis, UC Davis Health, and Campus Safety.

The university is consistently ranked among the top institutions in the world for campus sustainability practices by the UI Green Metric World University Rankings. UC Davis is focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and repeatedly shown its commitment to preserving a healthy and sustainable environment for generations to come.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

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Job location

Sacramento, CA