Microbiologist II; Diagnostic Microbiology Services

Overview

Please note that this position is contingent upon the successful award of a contract currently under bid.

Goldbelt Professional Services specializes in providing expert resources for Public Health missions including scientific, technical, and administrative support from junior staff to high-level subject matter experts. Research and data driven, Goldbelt Professional Services’ experts create solutions customized to the client’s needs.

As a Microbiologist II the candidate specified portions of scientific work involving research studies on biology, including studies of pathogenesis, host-pathogen interaction, vaccine efficacy, novel therapeutic (in vitro and in vivo) efficacy studies, as well as the development and/or improvement of diagnostic methods for the diagnosis of infections.

• Perform basic in-vitro work, including viral inactivation, nucleic acid extractions, real-time PCR, and tissue culture techniques, along with more specialized serological and immunological assays for tissue culture and animal study samples infected with pox viruses.
• Participate in and/or lead in-vitro studies performed in the BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories.
• Participate in poxvirus animal studies performed in the BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories.
• Perform research activities to improve, enhance, or develop new diagnostic assay developments with incorporation of advanced technologies.
• Write complex study plans, test inactivation procedures, and validate different components (master mix, primers/probes manufactured from different companies and extraction platforms) for poxvirus PCR diagnostic assays.
• Train other members of the laboratory or external laboratory researchers in diagnostic and research Assays.
• Maintain detailed laboratory records of activities including documentation fitting for submission of results for peer-reviewed publications.
• Maintain cell lines, virus variants, and other reagents required for performance of poxvirus research activities.
• Assist with ordering reagents and maintenance of laboratory space for conducting research Activities.
• Propagate and purify pox viruses for use in assays for validation of diagnostic assays and investigative purposes.
• Analyze data relevant to laboratory investigations as well as outbreak response efforts.
• Effectively communicate research activities by presentations in lab, team, and branch meetings.
• Presentation of works at national / international conferences and preparation of manuscripts and research articles for publication.

• Working knowledge of virology, microbiology, molecular biology, immunology, and laboratory research methods applicable to infectious disease and poxvirus studies.
• Demonstrated laboratory experience with nucleic acid extraction, real-time PCR, tissue culture, viral inactivation, and serological or immunological assays.
• Experience conducting in-vitro research in BSL-2 and/or BSL-3 laboratory environments while following established biosafety, biosecurity, and quality procedures.
• Ability to propagate, maintain, and purify viruses and manage cell lines, viral variants, reference materials, and other biological reagents.
• Experience developing, optimizing, or validating molecular diagnostic assays, including evaluation of extraction methods, master mixes, primers/probes, and other assay components.
• Ability to develop and execute study plans, experimental protocols, validation activities, and inactivation testing under established scientific guidance.
• Strong laboratory documentation and data-management skills, including maintenance of laboratory notebooks, protocols, reagent records, study documentation, and publication-quality results.
• Ability to analyze and interpret experimental data in support of…