Laboratory Manager, Meat and Muscle Biology Lab

Apply now Job no: 493195
Work type: Staff Full-time
Location: Stillwater
Categories: Research

Campus

OSU-Stillwater

Contact Name & Email

Ranjith Ramanathan, ranjith.ramanathan@okstate.edu

Work Schedule

Monday through Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm with occasional evenings and weekends.

Appointment Length

Regular Continuous/Until Further Notice

Hiring Range

$60,000 - $80,000 Salary

Special Instructions to Applicants

For full consideration, please include a resume, cover letter and contact information for three professional references.

About this Position

About Us: 

The Department of Animal and Food Sciences has more than 1100 undergraduate students, 65
M.S. and Ph.D. students, and 31 faculty. The department is home to nine undergraduate student organizations and seven competitive undergraduate teams. The department operates nine farm and ranch units with high quality livestock that encompass over 12,000 acres. For more information about the department go to: http://www.afs.okstate.edu/

There are lots of great reasons to work at OSU, check out our great benefits and eligibility at https://hr.okstate.edu/prospective-ee.html

Position Summary: 

The Meat and Muscle Biology Lab is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented individual to assist in research related to the biological, chemical, and physical properties of meat and muscle tissues, as well as teaching/extension coordination needs. The successful candidate will support ongoing experiments, data collection, and analysis related to muscle growth, meat quality, and postmortem muscle conversion processes. The candidate will coordinate with meat science faculty in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences and the Food and Agricultural Products Center, specifically the Meat Lab Manager and Director of Second Floor Operations.  

Key Responsibilities: 

  • Manage, operate, and maintain meat science labs 

  • Coordinate slaughter and fabrication dates with FAPC Meat Lab and AFS Faculty 

  • Secure and/or procure animals for slaughter from OSU AFS Farms or outside sources as needed 

  • Coordinate with Meat Science Faculty and FAPC for all teaching, research, and extension programming needs in FAPC 

  • Assist with sample collection and preparation from live animal harvests and post-harvest carcass fabrication 

  • Conduct common laboratory assays related to meat science or related fields.   

  • Maintain detailed laboratory notebooks, record experimental procedures, and organize data for analysis 

  • Operate and maintain laboratory equipment, including centrifuges, spectrophotometers, texture analyzers, and microscopes 

  • Ensure compliance with lab safety protocols, animal handling guidelines, and institutional regulations 

  • Support undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and faculty in experimental design and project execution 

 Work Environment: 

  • Work may involve exposure to biological samples, raw meat, cold environments (coolers/freezers), and standard laboratory chemicals. 

  • Some tasks may require lifting up to 50 pounds and standing for extended periods. 

 

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor's in Animal Science, Food Science, Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field. 
    (degree must be conferred on or before agreed upon start date)

  • Three years' related work experience. 

  • Skills, Proficiencies, and/or Knowledge:

    • Ability to work independently and in a team environment. 

    • Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and willingness to learn new techniques. 

    • Good written and verbal communication skills. 

Preferred Qualifications

  • Master’s degree in Animal Science, Food Science, Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field. 

  • Skills, Proficiencies, and/or Knowledge:

    • Basic understanding of muscle structure, meat science, or food biochemistry. 

    • Prior laboratory or meat science research experience. Perform  proximate analysis, pH measurement, water holding capacity, tenderness, and color evaluations, and others as needed 

    • Experience with molecular techniques and/or histology. 

    • Familiarity with data analysis software (e.g., SAS, R, Prism, ImageJ). 

    • Perform histological techniques such as tissue fixation, sectioning, staining, and imaging and others as needed 

    • Assist in molecular biology techniques such as RNA/DNA extraction, PCR, Western blotting, and proteomics assays (depending on project needs) 

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