Research Assistant

Position Summary

Position

Description:

The selected candidate will support cardiac and mitochondrial physiology research involving the collection and analysis of bioenergetic properties from mitochondria, myocytes, and whole hearts subjected to a variety of experimental protocols. The position combines hands‑on research responsibilities with laboratory management duties and plays an important role in advancing ongoing research projects within the laboratory.

Responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to:

• Perform experiments and collect, analyze, interpret, and document research data.
• Assist with experimental planning, protocol development, and implementation of research studies.
• Collaborate with the principal investigator and research team on the design, execution, and optimization of research experiments.
• Maintain day‑to‑day laboratory operations and support research projects conducted by faculty, postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers.
• Train, mentor, and oversee undergraduate researchers, assisting with laboratory techniques, data collection, and project activities.
• Conduct animal handling and care activities in accordance with approved protocols.
• Perform routine maintenance, calibration, troubleshooting, and coordination of laboratory equipment servicing.
• Order laboratory supplies, materials, and equipment parts and maintain laboratory inventories, including supplies, chemicals, equipment records, and required documentation.
• Ensure accuracy, integrity, and proper documentation of experimental procedures and research data.
• Ensure compliance with Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) requirements, including laboratory inspections, safety procedures, reporting obligations, and proper disposal of regulated materials.
• Coordinate and document required laboratory safety training.
• Review scientific literature to support ongoing research projects and maintain awareness of emerging methodologies and findings.
• Assist with manuscript preparation, data presentation, research reporting, and publication activities.
• Communicate and collaborate with researchers, students, university personnel, vendors, and service providers to support laboratory operations and research activities.
• Participate in laboratory meetings and perform other related duties as assigned.

This is an off‑date position funded for one year from date of hire with possible extension contingent upon funding renewal. The duties to be performed by this position require in‑person presence in East Lansing, MI, and they are not compatible with remote work. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full‑time basis.

Department Statement:

The Department of Physiology and Division of Pathology Division have significant teaching and research missions. The position works with a global community of internationally recognized scholars from diverse nationalities, ethnicities, and backgrounds; two large undergraduate majors (Physiology and Neuroscience) with approximately 1,200 majors combined; the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology (MCIP) graduate program, popularly combined with professional degrees (MD, DO, DVM);

and vibrant research programs in areas such as cancer biology, cardiac pathophysiology, diabetes and obesity, gastrointestinal health and disease, immunity and tissue inflammation, musculoskeletal diseases, molecular metabolism and disease, and neuroscience. The discipline of physiology is uniquely positioned among the biomedical sciences to span the gulf between exploring the most fundamental aspects of biology and the most practical and applied problems of human and animal health.

Faculty in the Physiology Department at Michigan State University work to understand how the vast array of molecular and cellular events successfully integrate to define the phenomenon of human existence.

The Physiology Department Mission:

• Identify factors and molecules that promote health and disease.
• Understand mechanisms of disease progression.
• Improve overall human and animal health through identification of novel therapeutic targets and treatments.
• Train future scientists in…