Laboratory Animal Research Assistant​/Contractual C2

Job Description

University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Department of Neurosurgery is currently seeking an Assistant, Laboratory Animal Research. The selected candidate will support animal research activities and animal clinical care in the Hussain Lab, a NIH- and DoD-funded neuroscience laboratory focused on glymphatic biology, traumatic brain injury, and neuroimmunology. Work is performed in accordance with animal welfare regulations and applicable federal and institutional guidelines.

The Department of Neurosurgery aims to excel and innovate in the clinical practice, science, and education in neurosurgery. We seek to achieve this by creating a platform and culture whereby all team members contribute to this mission and reach their full capacity for impact and fulfillment. Critical to our success is each team member's alignment and demonstration of our Core Values:

• Patients First, Together!
• Always Do the Right Thing
• Leave It Better Than You Found It
• Drive to Discovery and Mastery

The Hussain Lab operates within the Department of Neurosurgery and the University of Maryland-Medicine Institute of Neuroscience Discovery (UM-MIND). Led by Dr. Rashad Hussain, Ph.D., the lab is at the forefront of research on glymphatic system function, traumatic brain injury (TBI), glial biology, and neuro-regeneration. The lab's work has been published in Nature, Trends in Neuroscience, Brain, and Journal of Neuroscience, and has opened new therapeutic directions in edema resolution after TBI, myelin repair, and brain metabolite clearance.

Current research areas include:

• Glymphatic and lymphatic dynamics in brain injury, sleep, and neurodegenerative diseases
• Traumatic brain injury mechanisms, including cerebral edema and glymphatic impairment
• Neuroimmunology and neuroinflammation, linking environmental toxicants (e.g., ultrafine particles from burn pits, air pollution) to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
• Glial biology and remyelination, including androgen receptor-mediated repair
• Advanced imaging and experimental models, including high‑resolution two‑photon imaging, mini‑2P systems, and in‑vivo CSF tracer dynamics

UMB offers a comprehensive benefits package that prioritizes wellness, work/life balance, and professional development. Contingent Category II staff receive a generous leave package that includes over 2 weeks of vacation each year, paid holidays, personal leave, sick time, and time for community service; subsidized comprehensive health insurance and supplemental retirement options; professional learning and development programs; limited tuition remission for employees enrolled at UMB;

life insurance and long‑term disability; and flexible work schedules and teleworking options (if applicable per job).

UMB is a public university and constituent institution of the University System of Maryland. All employees are expected to work primarily physically within the State of Maryland.

• Perform routine laboratory maintenance and research activities such as general housekeeping, daily observations of animal health, collection of cultures and biological specimens for diagnostic testing and monitoring of animal health, reporting outcomes to veterinarian, triage, administer specific or prescribed animal treatments as required; diagnostic molecular (ELISA), bacteriological, or biological assays, breeding colonization processes, irradiation of blood products, and executing biochemical procedures such as electrophoresis, blotting, chromatography, and DNA extractions, etc.
  
  May require performing psychological enrichment of certain species.
• May perform advanced laboratory research activities on a variety of animal species such as obtaining blood, bone marrow, and tissue samples; perform animal surgery; post‑operative care; implantation or placement of medical devices; administration of pharmaceuticals and nutrients, including anesthesia; and perform euthanasia process. May participate in the design of research studies and assist with budget tasks for research studies/projects.
• Compile and may analyze research data using various relevant computer…