Research Specialist II - Center for Advancing Personalized Cancer Treatments

About FIU Florida International University is a Top 50, preeminent public research university with 55,000 students from all 50 states and more than 140 countries, as well as an alumni network of more than 340,000. Located in the global city of Miami, the university offers more than 200 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels, including medicine and law. FIU faculty are leaders in their fields and include National Academy members, Fulbright Scholars and MacArthur Genius Fellows. A Carnegie R1 institution, FIU drives impactful research in environmental resilience, health and technology and innovation. Home to the Wall of Wind and Institute of Environment, FIU stands at the forefront of discovery and innovation. With a focus on student success, economic mobility and community engagement, FIU is redefining what it means to be a public research university. Job Summary The Research Specialist II will support translational cancer research at the Center for Advancing Personalized Cancer Treatments (CAPCT). The position will focus on implementing and optimizing high-throughput drug screening and high-content imaging assays to identify effective therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment and advance functional precision medicine. The position will be responsible for conducting high-throughput drug screening using patient-derived cell culture models, performing drug synergy and combination analyses, and evaluating therapeutic efficacy to identify synergistic drug interactions and potential treatment vulnerabilities. The successful candidate will have demonstrated hands-on experience in high-throughput screening assay development and execution, drug combination testing, and quantitative synergy analysis using established analytical approaches. Additional responsibilities include assay optimization and validation, data analysis and interpretation, documentation of experimental results, and collaboration with an interdisciplinary research team to advance CAPCT's mission of identifying personalized, effective treatment strategies for patients with cancer. Design, perform, optimize, and troubleshoot high-throughput screening assays to evaluate the efficacy of chemotherapeutic compounds and identify potential therapeutic Independently operate, maintain, and troubleshoot a high-Content Imaging Screening System to perform automated high-content fluorescence-based assays and quantitative cellular analysis. Develop and optimize imaging protocols, acquisition parameters, and image-analysis workflows to characterize cellular phenotypes and evaluate responses to therapeutic interventions. Conduct single-agent and combination drug testing and perform quantitative drug synergy and antagonism analyses using established analytical models. Develop, optimize, validate, and standardize cell-based assays to assess drug sensitivity, cytotoxicity, cell viability, proliferation, and therapeutic response in patient-derived cell culture models. Analyze, interpret, and visualize experimental data using appropriate statistical methods and specialized software for dose-response modeling, IC50 determination, drug interaction assessment, and synergy scoring. Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot laboratory equipment and automated liquid-handling systems used in high-throughput screening, plate-based assays, and quantitative drug testing. Establish and implement quality-control procedures for screening assays, including positive and negative controls, replicate assessment, assay performance metrics, and Z-factor calculations where appropriate. Maintain accurate and detailed laboratory records, experimental protocols, screening datasets, and standard operating procedures; prepare data summaries, technical reports, figures, and presentations for internal review Manage reagents, cell culture materials, compound libraries, assay consumables, and laboratory supplies. Monitor equipment performance, maintain appropriate inventory, and comply with institutional safety requirements and applicable research procedures. Work closely with the principal investigator, laboratory personnel, and interdisciplinary collaborators to coordinate experiments, troubleshoot technical challenges, and advance translational cancer research and functional precision medicine initiatives. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's degree in a related field and four (4) years of experience or Master's degree and two (2) years of experience. Job Category Administrative Work Schedule Begin time: 8:30 AM End time: 5:00 PM Pre-Employment Requirements Criminal Background Check Disclosures Clery Notice In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, the University Police department at Florida International University provides information on crimes statistics, crime prevention, law enforcement, crime reporting, and other related issues for the past three (3) calendar years. The FIU Annual Security report is available online at: To obtain a paper copy of the report, please visit the FIU Police Department located at 885 SW 109th Avenue, Miami, FL, 33199 (PG5 Market Station). Pay Transparency Florida International University will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. 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