- Job Type: Support Staff - Non-Union
- Bargaining Unit:
- Regular/Temporary: Regular
- End Date if Temporary:
- Hours Per Week: 35.00
- Salary Range: $45,000-$55,000
The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
Position Summary
Columbia University's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute brings together world-class scientists across academic disciplines conducting pioneering research to transform our understanding of how the brain works – and gives rise to mind and behavior. The Institute fosters a collaborative and inclusive environment across 50+ labs, advancing insights into human health by exploring how the brain develops, performs, endures, and recovers.
At the Zuckerman Institute, we are committed to becoming a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse place of scientific discovery and supporting a culture of respect. Promoting diversity in science will help drive the transformative science that can change the world.
Situated in the Jerome L. Greene Science Center on Columbia’s Manhattanville campus, the state-of-the-art building offers an environment where the highest level of scholarly scientific research takes place on a daily basis, with the benefit of being located in the heart of New York, one of the world’s most vibrant and culturally rich cities.
The laboratory of Dr. Carol Mason at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute has an open position for a highly motivated Research Staff Assistant to assist in working in a cutting-edge neuroscience laboratory. The Research Staff Assistant will assist with analyses of normal and perturbed eye development in developing (embryonic and postnatal) mice. Relevant skills encompass molecular biology, histology, gene perturbation, and microscopy, and responsibilities include lab management and mouse colony maintenance.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:
- Lab management: Working in collaboration with the other lab members, including the Dodd lab, the Research Staff Assistant is responsible for maintaining supplies of common solutions and inventory control; overseeing lab equipment, and ensuring safety measures and institutional compliance
- Responsible for ordering supplies on Quartzy and from other vendors; reconciling purchases on Pcard and other purchase orders.
- Animal husbandry: Serving as primary liaison between the lab and veterinary staff in supporting the mouse colony. Colony maintenance involves ordering, record-keeping, genotyping, and breeding
- Oversee annual renewal of animal protocols and occasional modifications
- Experimental Support: Assisting in experiments as required, potentially involving surgical procedures, histology, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, microscopy, and computer-assisted analysis; RNA sequencing and tissue culture
- Analysis and interpretation of experimental data; preparation of data and images for publication
- Training and oversight of undergraduate, summer, and visiting students, in general lab techniques and specific experimental approaches and their quantification and interpretation.
- Reporting: Attendance and presentation at lab meetings and direct reporting to PI
- Additional duties as assigned by Principal Investigator
Minimum Qualifications
The successful candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree in a scientific or engineering field with a basic understanding of biology. Two years of related research experience.
Preferred Qualifications
Prior wet laboratory experience is high desired, including working with rodent models. The ideal candidate must show an ability to work independently with accuracy and attention to detail. They must be flexible in nature and exhibit a willingness to gain practical training as well as mentorship, and function in a fast-paced and changing work environment. They must possess strong organizational skills, keep excellent notes, show sound judgment, and have a collaborative style that fosters teamwork and cooperation as well as the ability to work independently within a diverse and dynamic team environment.
Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.