Animal Biologist (52855)

Position Objective: The Animal Biologist will provide support services to satisfy the overall operational objectives of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders (NIDCD) within the National Institutes of Health.

Duties and Responsibilities:

- Conduct behavioral testing and perform surgery on small animal models.

- Perform behavioral assays in association with the primary research project.

- Coordinate husbandry, animal care and enrichment activities to maintain a clean, safe and regulatory compliant animal research program. 4

- Perform animal habituation for behavioral experiments; monitor animal acclimatization to behavioral cages by measuring food and water consumption.

- Work with staff to manage and conduct behavioral training and testing of animals for users of the Section.

- Observe and record behavior of animals to detect maladjustment or stereotypies.

- Conduct animal behavioral testing, including T-maze, step down, conditioned place preference/aversion, oral, inhalation and intravenous drug self-administration, forced-swim test, hot-plate, tail-flick, von Frey, locomotion, elevated plus maze, open-field, novel object recognition, ultrasonic vocalization recording and startle reflex.

- Work with staff to maintain, breed, genotype and phenotype transgenic animal colony; maintain records of animal colony.

- Develop and maintain a spreadsheet of animal breeding records; record lineage, genotype, birth, death and experimental use of each animal.

- Independently perform genotyping of animals. 3

- Set up animals to be available in numbers and at the time required.

- Provide technical expertise in breeding colony management.

- Develop and maintain a breeding database to record all animals in the breeding colony.

- Determine type and number of animals to order and start labs colony of animals.

- Anticipate animal needs for lab research and colony maintenance; adjust the number of breeding pairs accordingly.

- Determine best type of breeding units to set up for lab needs, including but not limited to continuous pairs, harems, and timed pregnancies.

- Manage and breed animal colonies; genotype animals and report genotyping results to staff.

- Communicate and collaborate with investigators regarding colony and support duties. 2

- Maintain an extensive database repository that tracks the life and health cycles of the entire transgenic colony, including animal

- breeding, health, and housing areas.

- Inspect all animals each day for viability and health status.

- Handle animals for hormone injection, mating, timed mating, and other experimental procedures.

- Work with staff to maintain, breed, genotype and phenotype transgenic animal colony; maintain records of animal colony.

- Handle, dissect and euthanize animals.

- Work with staff on maintaining animal colonies, including setting up mating pairs and checking plugs, genotyping animals by tail biopsy, injecting animals with hormones or other compounds; inject cells into immunocompromised animals; monitor and analyze tumor growth.

- Maintain animal colony, including general husbandry, breeding, plug checks, weaning, tagging animals and obtaining tail or ear snips for genotyping, and euthanasia.

- Performs simple surgeries on animals.

- Perform animal surgeries, including utero electroporation. 1

- Handle, dissect and euthanize animals.

- Perform animal preparation including anesthesia, injection catheters and physiological monitoring.

- Handle experimental animals including tail vein injections, administration of anesthesia and monitoring of animal viral signs.

- Assist with and perform animal survival surgery, including intraspinal injections.

- Perform skilled routine surgical procedures in support of on-going animal studies.

- Develop new surgical or animal handling techniques as needed to support projects.

- Perform complex surgical techniques, necropsies, blood and tissue sample collection.

- Prepare animals for surgery and ensure proper disposal of animal carcasses.

- Prepares and analyzes animal tissues.

- Maintain animal lines in transgenic facilities. 5

- Harvest and collect animal embryos, tissues, and organs.

- Perform a variety of specialized tissue fixation, embedding, sectioning and staining techniques.

- Manage genotyping of samples of transgenic animals.

- Perform analysis of animal tissues; prepare frozen slices and paraffin sections, appropriately stained to demonstrate normal and abnormal structures.

- Performs molecular biology techniques.

- Perform PCR-based genotyping.

- Perform a variety of specialized tissue fixation, embedding, sectioning and staining techniques.

- Perform tissue and cell culture; use sterile technique.

- Carry out molecular biological experiments, including extracting genomic DNA, performing PCR and gel electrophoresis, cloning

- DNA fragments and preparing plasmid DNA, generating high quality RNA using in vitro transcription.

- Perform standard molecular biology techniques, including, but not limited to, cloning, in situ hybridization and qPCR.

- Performs immunohistochemistry on animal tissues.

- Perform light and confocal microscopy.

- Work with staff to process tissue for immunohistochemistry.

- Perform molecular biology and cloning techniques, tissue histochemistry and immunohistochemistry.

- Coordinate a mouse colony and perform PCR-based genotyping.

- Handle, dissect and euthanize mice.

- Work with staff on mouse surgeries.

- Anesthetize mice and perform physiologic measurements of hearing sensitivity and vestibular testing.

- Perform fine dissections of inner ear tissues.

- Perform experiments with primary tissues explants and cells in culture; discuss projects with PI and others.

- Perform a variety of specialized tissue fixation, embedding, sectioning and staining techniques (bone decalcification and sectioning, frozen tissue sectioning, and serial sectioning) to demonstrate a variety of tissue components or materials present in tissues.

- Perform tissue and cell culture; use sterile techniques.

- Perform adenoviral, adeno-associated viral, retroviral and/or lentiviral infection experiments.

- Perform apoptosis assays, qRT-PCR. Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and molecular cloning techniques.

- Perform light and confocal microscopy.

- Search and review literature related to project; summarize and evaluate findings.

- Work with staff on the modification of laboratory protocols and experiments based on literature findings.

- Collect and analyze data; update and maintain laboratory notebooks and databases.

- Perform quantitative analysis and image acquisition; maintain complete and detailed records of all experiments.

- Prepare and maintain stock solutions; operate and troubleshoot laboratory equipment.

- Prepare and maintain laboratory orders and order processing.

- Coordinate laboratory safety protocols.

- Update and maintain laboratory notebooks and databases; collect, analyze and interpret data.

- Perform quantitative analysis; data analysis, figure preparation, and image acquisition; maintain complete and detailed records of all experiments.

- Collect, organize and record experimental data for publication and future reference by others.

- Collect, review, research, and analyze large datasets; perform experiments, utilizing various statistical applications and methods; and interpret data, assemble data into figures, and enter data into a database.

- Analyze and interpret scientific data from animal cell lines.

- Collate, edit and archive electronic and paper laboratory files, notebooks and databases.

- Analyze and catalog imaging data from molecular biology and in vitro tissue culture assays.

- Maintain records of experimental results; work with staff to analyze and interpret data; prepare summaries of laboratory findings.

- Perform computer analysis and use computer software to prepare images

- Document information on procedures, modifications and methods for input into final publication and presentations of findings at meetings.

- Work with staff on the modification of laboratory protocols and experiments based on literature findings.

- Work products and documents related to surgical experiments and hearing testing; manage a mouse colony and perform PCR-based genotyping.

- Work products and documents related to handling, dissecting and euthanizing mice; perform tissue and cell culture; use sterile technique; perform quantitative analysis; maintain records of all experiments.

- Work products and documents related to performing adenoviral, retroviral and/or lentiviral infection of tissue explants; perform apoptosis assays, qRT-PCR, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, molecular cloning techniques, light and confocal microscopy.

- Work products and documents related to preparing and maintaining stock solutions and equipment; maintain orders; manage laboratory safety protocols

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

- Master Science in Biology, Life Sciences or a related discipline

- Skilled in MS Office Suite

Preferred Qualifications:

- Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with non-technical and technical staff

- Detail-oriented and possess strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and projects

*This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required by this position.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

GAP Solutions provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need an accommodation to apply for a job, email us at [email protected] . You will need to reference the requisition number of the position in which you are interested. Your message will be routed to the appropriate recruiter who will assist you. Please note, this email address is only to be used for those individuals who need an accommodation to apply for a job. Emails for any other reason or those that do not include a requisition number will not be returned.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

This position is contingent upon contract award.