Rsch Pro -Clinical Research

About the Job

Position Overview: This research position is within the Translational Center for Resuscitative Trauma Care in the University of Minnesota Medical School. Our mission is to develop and evaluate innovative, effective acute trauma care from point of injury through early post‑injury in austere, low‑resource, rural, and emergency care settings. The Center brings together multidisciplinary translational research across Minnesota and develops faculty and trainee research careers.

This position supports the clinical and pre‑clinical research within the Center. The successful candidate will lead these research efforts and collaborate with students and faculty in understanding the biology of human inflammation after injury, focusing on regulation of anti‑inflammatory pathways mediating the immune response to injury. The role requires proficiency in a wide range of molecular and cellular techniques, the ability to manage lab personnel, medical residents, and students, and a commitment to scientific publications.

The person in this position will work independently with minimal guidance from the supervisor.

This position is based on campus. Per UMN policy, work may be done remotely when appropriate and approved by your manager. All UMN employees are expected to follow applicable public health and safety procedures.

Function 1 (70%):
Lead the research team including experiments using animal and human samples and associated data.

• Biospecimen and Molecular Analysis:
  • Collect, process, and store human and/or animal biospecimens (blood, tissue, BAL, etc.) under IRB/IACUC‑compliant protocols.
  • Isolate extracellular vesicles from blood and biologic fluids.
  • Isolate high‑quality RNA/DNA for downstream analysis, including bulk and single‑cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‑seq).
  • Prepare NGS libraries and coordinate sample submission with sequencing cores.

Function 2 (20%):
Data Analysis and Management

• Maintain detailed experimental records and contribute to standardized operating procedures (SOPs).
• Analyze, visualize, and present experimental data to the PI and collaborators.
• Manage biospecimen repository.
• Evaluate new and developing in vivo and in vitro models.
• Contribute to manuscript preparation, figure generation, methods writing, and grant support.
• Generate experiment reports.
• Use basic statistical methods to analyze data.

Function 3 (10%):
Lab Operations and Team Leadership

• Manage day‑to‑day lab operations, including ordering, inventory, equipment maintenance, biosafety compliance, and freezer/sample management.
• Supervise, train and mentor junior staff, students, and rotating residents/fellows.
• Coordinate weekly team research meetings.
• Co‑author and collaborate on manuscripts, reports, presentations and grant proposals.
• Serve as point‑of‑contact for coordinating with core facilities (e.g., flow cytometry, genomics, biobanking) and clinical collaborators.

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree with one or more years of research experience.
• Previous experience in a research setting.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently in a translational research environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience writing scientific documentation.
• Ability to read, interpret, and carefully follow experimental protocols. Basic computer skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) with willingness to learn advanced software related to specific research activities.
• Advanced experience with Microsoft Office.
• Prior leadership or laboratory management experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Interest in biomarker pre‑clinical research.
• Interest in clinical research.
• Proficiency in biospecimen handling, molecular assays (qPCR, Western blot, ELISA), and flow cytometry.
• Experience working with small and large animal models.
• Experience working with human clinical samples or animal models of trauma, sepsis, or critical illness.
• Familiarity with immune profiling, cytokine analysis, extracellular vesicle isolation or transcriptomic workflows.
• Experience with RNA/DNA extraction and preparation of samples for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and/or scRNA‑seq.