Lab & Research Technician

Advertising Summary

The Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine (BPM), at the VCU School of Pharmacy, is seeking a highly motivated individual with expertise in molecular biology and genomics to join our research team as a Lab/Research Technician or as a Senior Lab/Research Technician, dependent on experience and qualifications. The main purpose of this position is to conduct lab-technical applications to support BPM’s research program.

The individual hired for this position will conduct hands‑on lab-technical work for an NIH funded research project.

School Of Pharmacy MBU

Biomarker Research Center (BPM)

The School of Pharmacy has a 126-year tradition beginning with the Medical College of Virginia and continuing to the present. Ranked in the top 20 Schools of Pharmacy nationwide, the school is dedicated to graduating outstanding future pharmacists and scientists who will improve human health, foster exemplary research, and provide sustaining contributions to inter‑professional patient care. The School of Pharmacy is committed to fostering a climate where the success of all people is supported and celebrated.

General responsibilities include laboratory and instrument maintenance and daily bench work involving, e.g., handling and preparation of human bio-samples; various advanced molecular biology assays such as library construction and quality control for single‑nucleus RNA sequencing. After appropriate training the successful candidate is expected to independently handle and process human tissue, isolate and quality control nuclei via manual and automated counting methods and support senior technicians in library construction approaches and quality control.

• Processing bio-samples.
• Performing various types of quality control and preparing/pooling samples for downstream sequencing-based analysis and other applications.
• Operating advanced quality control instruments.

• Perform daily and weekly routines to ensure that the laboratory environment and all instrumentation are satisfactory clean, free of contamination risks and fulfills criteria for biosafety level II lab-technical work.
• Work closely with other team members, vendors and university support units to minimize the risk of/solve operational issues.
• Assist with preventive maintenance and repairs of lab-technical instrumentation and facilities.
• Perform other maintenance needs as are required to ensure the integrity of the laboratory environment and its efficient operation.
• Ensure that an appropriate inventory of reagents and supply is present in the laboratory and assist with orders as needed.

• Learn and remain abreast of developments in molecular biology and genetic/genomic techniques relevant for the project at hand.

• Carefully document progress and challenges of all experiments/analyses performed by maintaining detailed records of all work according to standard operating procedures.
• Review and evaluate quality control information and other related data. Discuss results with team members to determine appropriate actions.
• Address project specific challenges with other team members, to find solutions, as they occur. Timely and professional interaction with team members.
• Support team members as needed and learn from others.
• Present the progress of the projects during weekly meetings.

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific discipline, with documented experience in molecular biology and genetics, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Prior experience working in a laboratory environment with excellent hands‑on‑skills and theoretical knowledge in basic molecular biology including, e.g., PCR, RNA/DNA extractions and sample quantification.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work cleanly and reproducibly to prevent contamination and sample mix‑up.
• Strong ability to work within a team of faculty, staff and trainees.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Abi…