Lab​/Research Technician - Microbiology and Immunology

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Summary:

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU's sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity employer.

Unit: School Of Medicine MBU

Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Department Summary: Located on the MCV Campus in downtown Richmond, the Department of Microbiology and Immunology is home to a vibrant community of researchers, educators and learners. With a strong history of research funding, our department strives to advance scientific knowledge in the biomedical sciences and inform medical advancements that improve patient outcomes.

• Allergy and autoimmunity
• Host-pathogen interactions and molecular pathogenesis
• Human microbiome science and microbial genomics
• Reproductive immunology
• T-cell therapy and vaccine development
• Tumor biology, cell signaling and epigenetics

As educators, we are proud to provide a collaborative, collegial learning environment for our students. Faculty and postdoctoral fellows serve as dedicated mentors, providing an individualized educational experience and shaping the next generation of successful scientists.

The Brown Laboratory is seeking a full-time research technician to help establish and execute a new research program which uses a systems immunology approach to study the resolution of inflammation. The technician will work directly with Dr. Eric Brown and other laboratory members on mechanistic studies of lipids in extracellular vesicles and how they reprogram mouse and human immune cells to be anti-inflammatory, with a focus on studying chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as spondyloarthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

This position combines hands on experimental work with some added responsibility to contribute to the day-to-day operation of a growing laboratory.

The successful candidate will receive training in the laboratory's methods and will have opportunities to develop technical independence, contribute to experimental design, present data in laboratory meetings, and earn authorship on manuscripts. The position is well suited to an enthusiastic, self-directed scientist seeking two or more years of intensive research experience before graduate, medical, or other professional training, as well as to any scientist seeking increasing responsibility or exciting new projects.

The laboratory studies the immunogenetic and lipidomic mechanisms which govern inflammation resolution. Current projects aim to decipher how sphingolipids in extracellular vesicles and sterol metabolism reprogram immune cells to be anti-inflammatory, as well as studying HLA-I disease biology. We will be using mouse models to study how defects in these pathways contribute to chronic inflammatory or autoimmune diseases such as spondyloarthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

• Isolate, culture, stimulate, and analyze primary human and mouse immune cells, as well as established mammalian cell lines
• Perform multicolor flow cytometry and cell-based functional assays to characterize immune cell populations and cytokine secretion
• Conduct molecular and biochemical assays such as PCR, RT qPCR, ELISA, CRISPR gene editing, siRNA transfections, immunoblotting, and nucleic acid and protein preparation
• Assist with isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles such as bacterial outer membrane vesicles using HPLC and ultracentrifugation, with training provided as needed
• Support intestinal epithelial, organoid, or immune-epithelial co-culture experiments as these platforms are established in the laboratory
• Follow written protocols, identify technical problems, communicate unexpected results promptly, and help refine assays for reproducibility
• Assist with breeding, colony tracking, and health monitoring, for our mouse lines
• Perform or learn about harvesting and preparation of mouse immune, bone marrow and intestinal tissues for flow cytometry, histology, molecular assays, and ex vivo culture
• Assist with inflammatory disease models, including chemically induced colitis, in accordance with approved protocols and after required training.
• Maintain complete animal records and comply with VCU animal care and biosafety requirements.

• Maintain inventories of reagents, samples,…