JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Department of Neuroscience is seeking a Biological Scientist II for Dr. Maurer's lab who is focused on the role of neuronal circuits in complex rodent behaviors.

Duties Include:

Performing rodent survival surgeries and associated postoperative tasks: Serves as primary surgeon for both Burke and Maurer labs. Survival surgeries to include electrode implantations, cannulations, and AAV administration procedures. Postoperative care duties include daily animal health checks/monitoring, administration of necessary pharmaceuticals (e.g., analgesics), and consultation with vet staff as needed. Primary surgeon is also responsible for completing surgical logs and later archiving those surgical records. New project funding will require performing an increased number of technically difficult survival surgeries.

Training surgical assistants: Responsible for all project-specific surgical training required by any/all Burke and Maurer lab personnel. Duties include 1) assisting lab technicians, graduate students, and post-docs to plan, refine, and (if required) adjust/tailor surgical techniques to meet project needs 2) training personnel to perform necessary project-specific survival surgeries 3) providing post-training assistance with survival surgeries as needed and 4) ensuring all personnel follow all surgery-related IACUC and EHS policies/guidelines.

Conducting experiments: Duties include 1) monitoring rodent feeding schedule and performing body condition scoring throughout experimental testing 2) performing drug injections and infusions required for testing 3) conducting rodent behavioral training and testing sessions 4) collecting electrophysiological data 5) interpreting/providing data to PI and analyzing data per PI instruction.

Tissue collection and histology: Duties include 1) performing euthanasia/perfusions for tissue harvest 2) tissue sectioning (cryostat/vibratome) 3) histology (staining procedures, immunohistochemistry techniques).

Research coordination: Responsibilities include: 1) assisting the Burke and Maurer lab managers with IACUC inspection preparations and compliance regarding surgical procedures 2) maintaining surgical and electrophysiology equipment 3) monitoring all surgical procedure and related drug (DEA) logs 4) communicating any concerns/issues with lab managers and PIs as necessary.

Mentoring/supervising: Assuming a leadership role with respect to undergraduate research assistant orientation and training. Duties include 1) assisting lab managers with student “onboarding” procedures (e.g., IACUC and EHS requirements) 2) training all students to properly handle rodents and conduct behavioral tests, 3) supervising students following completion of appropriate training 4) helping students interpret and analyze project data 5) coordinating student scheduling

EXPECTED SALARY:
$50,000.00 - $55,000.00

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
Master's degree in biology or a related field with 1 year of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Bachelor's degree required

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
High degree of competency in survival surgeries, specifically cannulations and electrode implantation.
Experience with euthanasia and tissue harvesting.
Histology experience.