Research Analyst III - Research Support Microbiological and Chemical Contaminants, Seafood Safety

Cognizance Technologies, LLC | Full time

Dauphin Island, United States

The mission of FDA HFP is to assure the safety and wholesomeness of regulated foods and

related products. DSST laboratories provide scientific support for Agency policy, regulation,

compliance programs, research, and outbreak investigations related to seafood safety. The

DFPST Proficiency Testing (PT) Laboratory, accredited under ISO/IEC 17043, serves as an

FDA-designated Proficiency Test Provider supporting analytical capability and capacity across

FDA, state, and local public health laboratories. The PT Laboratory conducts proficiency testing

exercises and supports validation and verification of microbiological and chemical analytical

methods through inter-laboratory studies and comparison exercises.

The objective of this role is to provide support research, analytical method development, optimization

and validation, and outbreak investigations involving microbiological and chemical contaminants

in seafood.

Education:

Master's degree in Biology or a related field (e.g., biological science, microbiology,

molecular biology, or biomedical sciences), with 3+ years of experience.

• Perform molecular detection and/or characterization of viruses and other microorganisms
• Develop, optimize, and/or validate methods for identification of pathogens in seafood
• Extract nucleic acid (RNA/DNA) templates from seafood samples for molecular analyses
• Isolate and identify microorganisms from seafood samples
• Document laboratory analyses and results
• Analyze data and prepare project reports describing progress and work completed during
• the applicable task-order year.
• Analyze data and prepare manuscripts for publication.
• Collect environmental samples as required.
• Analyzing food and environmental samples for extraction and detection of viral pathogens.
• Using or understanding Sanger sequencing platforms.
• Developing, optimizing, and/or validating methods for the identification of pathogens in
• seafood
• Applying aseptic techniques when performing molecular-based methods.

• PPO/HMO Health Plan (includes medical, dental, and vision)