Research Support Assistant II

Job Title:
Research Support Assistant II

Grade: 10

Salary: $ 44,574- $53,143

The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene is seeking a qualified candidate to fill a full-time Research Assistant II position in our neuroscience laboratory, in which they will provide research support for several projects focused on how dopamine and opioid receptor signaling regulates motivation and social behavior in rodent models relevant to depression. The candidate will help run operant and motivated-behavior assays, including reward, threat-avoidance, and social-interaction paradigms, combined with stereotaxic surgery, viral vector delivery, in vivo fiber photometry with genetically encoded biosensors, and histological/c-Fos brain mapping.

The qualified candidate will work closely with division members, including undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral research scientists, and faculty members. The Research Assistant must be highly organized, detailed-focused, and results driven. The candidate should also possess exceptional communication skills and work effectively with a diverse group of researchers. The Research Assistant must be capable of working with minimal supervision, and capable of thoroughly documenting and communicating daily activities and experiments.

• Manage the laboratory animal colony (mice and rats), including breeding, weaning, genotyping, drug administration, post-surgical care, and maintenance of accurate colony records.
• Conduct behavioral testing in rodents, including operant and motivated behavior, social-interaction, and threat-avoidance paradigms.
• Support the projects of senior lab members, assisting with experiments including stereotaxic surgery, viral vector delivery, fiber photometry, tissue processing, and immunohistochemistry.
• Keep detailed records and discuss progress of work regularly with project supervisors and Principal Investigator.

• BS/BA or equivalent degree in neuroscience, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, or related field
• At least (6) months experience of handling laboratory rodents (mice and/or rats).
• At least (6) months' experience of using standard graphing software and Microsoft Office suite.

• At least (6) months' experience in conducting rodent behavioral tests.
• At least (6) months experience with genotyping (tail or ear biopsy, DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis).
• At least (6) months experience in circuit-based analysis of behavior using, e.g., stereotaxic surgeries, viral expression of proteins of interest, behavioral analysis, immunohistochemistry, fluorescence microscopy.
• Familiarity with Graph Pad Prism, MATLAB, and/or MedPC.

1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032

The Mission of the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc. (RFMH) is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a focus on providing hope and supporting recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Applicants with lived mental health experience are encouraged to apply. RFMH is deeply committed to supporting underserved individuals, organizations, and communities.

To this end, RFMH is focused on implementing activities and initiatives to reduce disparities in access, quality, and treatment outcomes for underserved populations. A critical component of these efforts is ensuring that RFMH is a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees' unique attributes and skills are valued and utilized to support the mission of the Agency.

RFMH is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

The Research Foundation is a private not-for-profit corporation and is not an agency or instrumentality of the State of New York. Employees of the Research Foundation are not state employees, do not participate in any state retirement system, and do not receive state fringe benefits. Excellent Benefits Package. Affimative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer - Disabled/Veteran, 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) compliant.