Lead Animal Technician, Neuroscience

Lead Research Technician

The lead research technician assists Neuroscience personnel in coordinating efforts on the day-to-day operations of active studies. They assist Study Directors (SDs) and Study Coordinators in accurately and efficiently conducting animal studies and supervise in-life study execution, clinical observations, and treatments to ensure compliance with policies and procedures. They also provide leadership, training, and technical oversight to more junior technicians.

• Directly works with the in-vivo group to conduct required study activities.
• Assist SDs and Study Coordinators to ensure study protocol, schedules, formulations, and sample collections are correct and properly communicated to the research team.
• Assists Study Coordinators with the creation or verification of cage cards, sample collection prep labels, and data files.
• Read and understand IACUC protocols, SOPs, and all study protocols, demonstrating familiarity with critical time points
• Assists in disease induction procedures.
• Administer doses of compounds to rats and mice via common dosing routes, including but not limited to oral, intravenous, subcutaneous, and intraperitoneal.
• Perform data collections, including weighing, clinical observations, health assessments, post operative monitoring, and disease progression scoring.
• Perform blood collections from rats and mice via tail vein, retro-orbital, and terminal blood draws and process these samples via centrifugation for plasma and/or serum.
• Perform behavioral testing (e.g. Cognitive, Motor, Mood, Von Frey, etc.) and in vitro work. Train other technicians in these areas as needed.
• Review facility schedules, dose formulation calculations, cage cards, spreadsheets, and study protocols for consistency and accuracy before the first dose event
• Review live phase data on all active studies for consistency and accuracy
• Assist in formulating experimental compounds for administration.
• Maintain study-related forms (e.g. data sheets, health assessments, found dead forms, and moribund forms)
• Independently perform tissue collections and dosing after training with SD
• Assist with the preparation and execution of necropsies, tissue collection (terminal and interim) and surgeries for the Neuroscience department
• Keep laboratory clean and maintain inventory of all team supplies (e.g. media, plates, reagents, surgical tools, etc.) and study-specific test articles.
• Supports and participates in other duties and company initiatives as directed
• Various software applications sustained by a Windows platform. (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Use of general laboratory equipment, including but not limited to balances, syringes and needles, blood collection tubes, centrifuges, pipettes, formalin collection jars, liquid nitrogen,
  -80 freezers, incubators, fluid/syringe pumps, chemical and clean hoods, PPE (lab coat, gloves, face mask or respirator, shoe covers, hair nets, eye protection), quarantine/isolation rooms, autoclaves, and necropsy hand tools.
• Other tasks as assigned

• M.S./B.S./B.A. in science (biology or equivalent; neuroscience preferred) with 1-3 years of direct animal behavioral work experience, or Associate degree with 4 years direct laboratory animal work experience, or 6 years of direct laboratory animal work experience without a college science degree, or equivalent combination of related education and required work experience will be considered with management approval.
• Animal laboratory research experience with mice and rats, including dosing, in-life sample collections, and necropsy collections.
• Preferred experience in neuroscience disease area research, including behavioral assessments, stereotaxic surgery in rodents, and neuroanatomy.

• Demonstrates a working knowledge and awareness of general laboratory procedures.
• Demonstrates an ability to follow detailed instructions, work independently, and work in a team environment.
• Demonstrates an ability to use computer software to compile and maintain study data and reports for study records and sample inventory.
• Demonstrates a positive attitude and respect for co-workers, managers, and other…