Research Scientist

Job Posting Title:

Research Scientist

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Hiring Department:

Kinesiology and Health Education

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until May 15, 2025

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

The Department of Kinesiology and Health Education’s Autonomic Control of Circulation (ACC) Lab and Health and Integrative Physiology (HIP) Lab are jointly seeking a Research Scientist (RS) for a 12-month, full-time position, with the opportunity to renew based on performance reviews and availability of grant funding. The ideal candidate should plan on spending 3+ years in this position.

The ACC lab is a research lab focused on broadening the understanding of how disease can affect cardiovascular changes during exercise for those with diabetes. The HIP is a biochemistry core lab providing shared equipment for research projects within the department. The RS will be a part of a collaborative NIH research project between the ACC and HIP labs and will also contribute to maintaining equipment and developing SOPs in HIP.

Purpose

This research scientist will work on an NIH-funded project that is investigating the effects of type 1 diabetes on the exercise pressor reflex and will also play a role in the routine maintenance and calibration of laboratory equipment along with the development and documentation of laboratory standard operating procedures in HIP. Specifically, this team member will perform in vivo rat surgeries and specimen collection along with biochemical procedures including western blots, ELISAs, and immunohistochemistry.

Responsibilities

• Collect and analyze biochemical data
• Oversee the maintenance of a rat colony, which will include breeding and genotyping, and ensuring that the colony is maintained in an optimal fashion
• Perform rat surgeries, procedures, and experiments that include blood draws, dissections, and tissue preservation
• General lab duties such as record keeping, ordering supplies, preparation of stock solutions
• Prepare for and participate in weekly laboratory meetings and planning sessions
• Interface with Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) - Submit for chemical waste and biohazardous pickup, perform laboratory equipment decontamination procedures for instruments going to surplus, conduct lab inspections, and complete requisite EHS training with students prior to allowing access to the HIP calendar
• Perform routine maintenance and calibration procedures on laboratory equipment
• Develop, maintain, and provide training on laboratory SOPs and equipment
• Train both undergraduate and graduate students in how to use research equipment and software in HIP along with educating as to the underlying principles of biochemical techniques

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree in Biochemistry, Biology, Neuroscience, or related field
• Experience with animal research
• Experience performing biochemical procedures specifically western blots, ELISAs, and immunohistochemistry (3+ yrs experience)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Superior oral and written communication skills
• Detail-oriented
• Enthusiasm towards learning new techniques and skills
• Ability to adhere to existing organizational structure in a research lab

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Biochemistry, Biology, Neuroscience, or related field.
• At least three years of experience working in a non-class-based laboratory
• Previous experience working with rats, drawing blood, and performing rat surgeries
• Experience performing other biochemical procedures including cytometry and transcriptomics
• Experience working with GraphPad and REDCap software

Salary Range

$65,000-$75,000K (dependent on experience)

Working Conditions

• Will work in both an animal laboratory and biochemical laboratory
• Personal protection equipment (furnished)
• May work around chemicals
• May work around standard office conditions
• May work around biohazards

Work Shift

• The typical work week will be 8am-5pm M-F but can be somewhat flexible based on Lab Director approval. This is an on-site position.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest/Cover letter outlining previous experience and why you would be good in this position.

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 .

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.