Job Description

The Lab Manager will perform bench research in the biology of aging as a key contributor to a laboratory working to identify and understand interventions to ameliorate age-onset diseases and pathology. The Burkewitz lab uses a combination of molecular genetic, biochemical, and cell biological approaches to study the interconnections between cell biology and metabolism, primarily in C. elegans and occasionally through work in other model systems. The position also involves working closely with the principal investigator to execute and maintain best-practices in a new laboratory.  The Lab Manager will be responsible for managing the day-to-day functions of the laboratory, including ordering supplies and reagents, coordinating and assisting with media preparation, and coordinating maintenance of biological libraries (e.g., C. elegans strains, nonpathogenic bacterial stocks, cell lines, plasmids, primers, etc.). Upon mastery of these tasks, the position provides an opportunity to grow and learn as an experimentalist, including C. elegans husbandry and genetic analyses, fluorescence microscopy, and standard molecular biology and biochemical analyses. 

 About the Work Unit: 

The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology is a vibrant, interdisciplinary environment for cutting-edge research over a scale that spans seven powers of ten, from single molecules to whole organisms. The difference between a test tube and a cell is spatio-temporal organization, and we study molecular, cellular and tissue organization in many of the laboratories within our department, seeking insights into fundamental biological questions and human disease.  We are an interactive and highly collaborative department, with a strong graduate student association, outstanding core facilities, a top-ranked developmental biology program, and exceptionally strong faculty.  Recent faculty recruits are studying cell migration using super-resolution microscopy, single molecule analysis of microtubule dynamics, systems biology of intestinal epithelia, stem cell biology, and the regulation of plasma membrane composition and ageing. 

  Duties and Responsibilities
 

Assist with daily lab operations 

Coordinate media and buffer preparation  Coordinates maintainenance of libraries of biological reagents (primers, plasmids, bacteria, cell lines and C. elegans strains)  Procure reagents and supplies and maintain the lab inventory  Assist in maintaining lab instruments and equipment  Assist in maintaining lab compliance with biological and chemical safety protocols  

C. elegans husbandry and transgenesis 

Grow bacterial cultures and maintain animals  Assist with experiments and microscopy  CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing and mutagenesis  Microinjection 

 Molecular and cell biological analysis 

Protein biochemistry  PCR, gel electrophoresis  Molecular cloning  RNA/DNA extraction, qRT-PCR 

Qualifications

Three+ years of laboratory experience or a Master’s degree is required.  Strong communication and organizational skills are required.  Diligence along with the ability and desire to maintain high quality and safety standards are required.   Experience in standard molecular biological techniques is required.  Experience working with C. elegans is preferred.  Experience with fluorescence microscopy is preferred.