Staff Research Associate II

UCI Department of Radiation Oncology Research Position

Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide.

The Department of Radiation Oncology is committed to providing leading-edge, compassionate clinical care, pioneering new therapies for patients, ushering the latest treatments from the laboratory to the clinic and training the next generation of leaders in the specialty.

Your Role on the Team

The incumbent will carry out technical responsibilities specified in a number of federally sponsored grant proposals in the field of radiation and chemotherapy-induced brain injury. He/She will be largely responsible for conducting tumor studies in select mouse models, with a major emphasis on orthotopic brain tumor implantation with and without radiosensitizing nanoparticle conjugates, requiring skills in stereotactic live animal surgery, conformal irradiation procedures and imaging. Additional lab duties will involve a variety of procedures necessary for the preparation, imaging and analysis of brain and tumor tissues for immune profiling and in generating fixed and frozen tissue sections used to quantify various CNS and immune specific endpoints. These duties will include tissue blocking, cryostat sectioning, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry and data quantification using in house/core software platforms. Another important job duty will entail behavioral testing using video recording and specialized analysis software and to maintain breeding colonies and genotyping of transgenic mice over time. Mouse colony maintenance and behavioral testing will be high priorities for this position and will be the secondary job functions expected on a daily basis. Lastly, the position will be required to maintain accurate research records, perform standard statistical analyses and support general lab duties such as reagent preparation, cleaning and dishware. Familiarity with some but not all of the foregoing will be a prerequisite of employment.

Special Conditions: Due to the nature of ongoing experiments, flexibility in the work schedule is a must, as some experiments will require work at either abnormal hours or over weekends. The candidate MUST be willing to work with animals and radiation sources. Also due to the nature of funded projects the successful candidate should be willing to travel. Travel may be as frequent as two times a year. All studies performed will be in accordance with UCI radiation safety and institutional animal approval standards.

What It Takes to be Successful Required: Behavioral testing involving rodents Familiarity with small animal (mouse) handling Laboratory experience utilizing the techniques and methods itemized above Experience working independently Experience in assisting, testing and standardizing immunohistological techniques Experience in tissue handling and cryostat sectioning Experience in use of confocal and fluorescent microscopic techniques to assess neural stem/precursor cell populations Experience in use of routine statistical, data plotting programs Previous experience with basic laboratory procedures and practices Preferred: Radiobiology background. Special Conditions: Willingness to travel.