Lab Specialist Intermediate

UVA Ophthalmology’s mission is to reduce vision‑threatening eye diseases through exceptional clinical care, cutting‑edge research, comprehensive education, and impactful community service.

We are dedicated to providing advanced and effective treatment for vision disorders for patients across Virginia and beyond.

The University of Virginia's Department of Ophthalmology is seeking a Laboratory Specialist Intermediate to join the Lab of Dr. Zhou. The Lab Specialist Intermediate will be responsible for performing the complex lab and research‑related tasks required to maintain the Center’s business processes, especially with the expanding portfolio of our research enterprise. The role involves managing animal welfare protocols, ensuring regulatory compliance, assisting and overseeing postdocs and lab staff with daily operations, and serving as first‑line management of lab business needs.

• Perform duties such as helping Principal Investigators coordinate research projects, performing experimental procedures, collecting information and data, and preparing tissues and specimens for procedures.
• Manage the animal colony: oversee and organize breeding, husbandry, genotyping, receiving, transferring, handling, writing animal welfare protocols, regulatory compliance, and assist and oversee postdocs and lab staff with daily operations.
• Communicate with veterinary staff, postdocs, students, and PIs to meet requirements and needs with respect to research animals.
• Manage 1‑3 support staff who will assist with animal colony tasks, as well as general lab maintenance tasks.
• Oversee day‑to‑day operation of projects.
• Schedule and maintain records of equipment/facilities.
• May be responsible for operations of specialized labs or research areas within departments and/or fieldwork and related data analyses for research projects.
• May assemble, test, calibrate, clean, or make minor repairs to equipment.
• Train users in equipment operation and research techniques; explain and demonstrate technology and equipment capabilities, operations, limitations, and outcomes.
• Determine interview procedures, conduct interviews, and assist with VISA processing of new and current staff.
• Work independently on collection of data and analyze research results.
• Confer with PIs in developing plans for research projects and discuss the interpretation of results and the preparation of scientific manuscripts for publication.
• May supervise research support personnel, orient/train new staff and complete on/off boarding procedures.
• May manage budgets, oversee first‑line system processes required by Workday Finance that pertain to the lab, such as account certifications and adjustments, payroll allocation and adjustments, expense reporting, and any additional responsibilities that may require lab first steps.
• In addition to the above job responsibilities, other duties may be assigned.

• Education:
  
  Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience:
  
  3+ years of relevant experience.

This position can spend extensive periods of time standing and squatting while conducting experiments or caring for animals. It also requires keyboarding and other bench work, and animal procedures requiring finer finger manipulation.

• The anticipated hiring range is $50,949 - $57,318, commensurate with education and experience.

• This is an exempt‑level, benefited position.
• This is a restricted position, dependent on funding and contingent upon funding availability.
• This position is based in Charlottesville, VA, and must be performed fully on‑site.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.