RESEARCH TECHNICIAN II

School of Medicine

Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation's top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe. Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine along with the Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Health System comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

Perform a variety of complex technical duties involved in conducting laboratory tests, experiments and determinations in support of Duke University research operations.

The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center under the Department of Neurosurgery is seeking a full-time Research Technician II to join one of its labs. As a member of our highly collaborative team of researchers and clinicians, you will have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and techniques to study the innate immune system, the impact of immunotherapy treatment and delivery of drugs in brain cancer. 

The Khasraw lab focuses on biomarkers of immune response and novel treatments to increase patient survival using hybrid of dry and wet lab techniques. We generate and analyze complex data from emerging technologies including high-throughput screens, immunological assays, whole genome sequencing, short and long read RNA data, immunopeptidomics, TCRseq, single cell and spatial genomics/proteomics to answer biologically driven questions. 

The candidate will build upon our existing high-content screens datasets, rich and diverse resources, which we use to identify new paradigms, answer fundamental scientific questions and use our knowledge to develop new therapeutic approaches for cancer patients.

Key areas of work 
•    The focus will be coding and experience with R, Python, and similar packages are essential.
•    Design and construct NGS or single cell libraries.
•    Prepare basic bioinformatic analysis and QC of sequencing data.
•    Developing skills in visualizing genomic datasets
•    Document and compile data in electronic lab notebook from experimental results, utilizing ELN, Adobe Illustrator, BioRender, and MS Office software.
•    Execute work independently after design input from supervisor or principal investigator.
•    Review laboratory methods, scientific journals, abstracts, and other literature for information applicable to the implementation and design of research experiments.
•    Be willing to learn and apply analytical skills to data utilizing GraphPad Prism
•    Meet or communicate by e-mail with your physician-scientist supervisor regularly to plan experiments, troubleshoot problems, and discuss results.
•    Participate in regular lab meetings to discuss results or articles in the literature.
•    Perform other related duties as required by supervisor.
•    The research technician is expected to show initiative, participate in educational activities, and mentor undergraduate students in the lab.

Depending on interest, there are opportunities to perform other activities including:
•    Cell culture work related to clinical projects or experiments on mouse models
•    Molecular assays including but not limited to nucleic acid extraction, PCR, and qPCR.
•    Handling research specimens for ongoing clinical trials, collection and preparation of tissues for histological analyses, RNA/DNA/protein isolation.
•    Operate laboratory equipment required for specific tests.

Education, Skills & Experience
•    Bachelor’s degree in in computer science, physics, math, statistics, genetics, cancer/computational/molecular/cell biology or related field.
•    An interest in graduate studies is helpful
•    Must adhere to strict safety requirements.
•    Must be detail-oriented, well organized and perform work under Good Lab Practices.
•    Should be comfortable working in teams and possess clear communication skills.
•    Position could have weekend hours when working on mouse experiments.

N/A

Work generally requires a bachelor's degree in botany, biology, zoology, psychology or other directly related scientific field.

None required above education/training requirement. OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.