Research Technologist

Position Title

Research Technologist 1

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive.

In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

The Biology Department supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

In the Lee Lab, the research technologist will use a wide range of established protocols to conduct experiments aimed at understanding the mechanisms and biological impacts of an RNA interference pathway in the single-celled model eukaryote Tetrahymena thermophila.

Current projects are focused on identifying the requirements and molecular processes by which the RNA interference pathway protects the genome from DNA damage. These projects will require the use of sterile technique for culturing Tetrahymena and bacterial cells and a variety of molecular biology, biochemistry, genomics/bioinformatics, and microscopy techniques. These techniques may include: reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), PCR/qPCR, recombinant DNA construction/analysis, Western blots, ChIP-seq/RNA-seq, affinity purifications of protein complexes, mass spec proteomics, and widefield and confocal fluorescence microscopy.

Additionally, the assistant will provide general support to the lab as needed, which may include: assisting in training new undergraduate and Masters’ students in routine techniques, tracking and receiving orders, maintaining reagent and cell strain inventories, maintaining cell stocks, preparing common reagents and consumables, updating the lab website, monitoring lab equipment and waste needs, and contributing to plastic/glassware cleaning and sterilization.

This is a project-employment position ending no later than May 31, 2027.

• A Bachelor’s Degree in biology, biochemistry, or related field of science or technology; OR Two years experience as a laboratory technician, research aide, or equivalent
• Hands‑on experience with one or more experimental techniques listed in the Position Responsibilities
• Strong organizational and written and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to commit to a minimum of 2 years

• At least…