Research Technician

Position: Research Technician I
Location: Louisville

Department:

Location:

Health Sciences Center Time Type:

Full time Worker Type:

Regular Job Req :

R109176

Minimum Requirements:

Bachelor's degree in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience. May require professional certification. Grade 4 (Hourly)
Position

Description:

The Translational Metabolic Phenotyping and Nutrition Core within the University of Louisville School of Medicine Nutrition and Metabolic Health Center is seeking a Research Technician I to support pre-clinical and human translational studies focused on exercise, metabolism, nutrition, and cardiometabolic health. The position will provide hands-on technical support for experiments using advanced metabolic phenotyping and physiological instrumentation, including mouse metabolic phenotyping systems, exercise-testing platforms, extracellular flux analysis, body-composition technologies, and whole-room calorimetry for human studies.

Working under the direction of the Core Director and established study protocols, the successful candidate will perform experiments, process and organize physiological and metabolic data, assist with implementation and refinement of experimental protocols, provide hands-on training in approved Core procedures, and communicate experimental progress and technical issues to the Core Director. This position is well suited for an individual with training or interests in bioengineering, biomedical engineering, physiology, quantitative biology, or related fields who enjoys hands-on experimental research, instrumentation, and data processing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Conduct mouse-based research procedures, including animal handling, monitoring, metabolic phenotyping, exercise testing, and collection or processing of biological samples, as trained and in accordance with approved protocols.

Set up, operate, calibrate, clean, and perform routine maintenance and first-line troubleshooting of advanced Core instrumentation, including Sable Promethion metabolic phenotyping systems, forced and voluntary exercise platforms, Seahorse extracellular flux analyzers, body-composition instrumentation, and related physiological monitoring systems, following established procedures and manufacturer guidance.

Assist with setup and implementation of human metabolic phenotyping studies using whole-room calorimeters and complementary physiological measurements, including support for participant-facing experimental workflows as appropriate to the approved protocol. Contribute to protocol refinement and documentation as directed.

Perform experimental procedures using established or Core-approved protocols with attention to accuracy, reproducibility, documentation, and quality control; assist with implementation of protocol updates as new Core capabilities are introduced.

Collect, organize, quality-check, and process multiparametric data generated from exercise and metabolic phenotyping studies using established analysis workflows. Compile measurements across physiological, metabolic, behavioral, and instrument-derived datasets for review by the Core Director and collaborating investigators.

Use instrument-specific software and established quantitative analysis tools to process data, prepare standardized summary outputs and visualizations, flag unusual or technically inconsistent results, and support review of findings by the Core Director and collaborating investigators.

Assist with onboarding and hands-on training of students, junior investigators, and Core users in approved animal procedures, human-study workflows, instrument operation, data collection, data quality-control procedures, and established standard operating procedures.

Communicate study status, experimental progress, equipment issues, troubleshooting needs, and resource requirements to the Core Director; participate in Core meetings and support ongoing improvements to experimental procedures and instrumentation workflows.

Maintain laboratory readiness through preparation of materials, inventory and supply management, equipment logs, cleaning, and compliance with institutional animal care, human subjects research, biosafety, environmental health and safety, and Core requirements. Perform other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering, bioengineering, biological engineering, physiology, kinesiology, exercise science, biology, biochemistry, nutrition, or a closely related quantitative or biomedical field.

Interest in applying engineering or quantitative approaches to human and preclinical research in physiology, exercise, metabolism, and nutrition.

Prior hands-on experience with mice or other laboratory animals, including familiarity with animal handling, physiological phenotyping, or exercise-related research procedures.

Experience operating or learning complex research instrumentation. Familiarity with metabolic phenotyping, indirect calorimetry, exercise physiology, extracellular flux analysis, physiological…