Junior Specialist - Fischer Lab

The Fischer Lab is seeking a professional research assistant (Junior Specialist) starting September 2026. This position is a combination of research, lab management, and animal care. Our lab uses charismatic frogs as a model system to understand how the brain makes behavior and how behaviors evolve. Learn more at ekfischerlab.com. The position requires excellent organizational skills, precise execution of experiments, rigorous ethical standards, strong communication skills, and the ability to work independently and as part of a team. The Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior at the University of California, Davis invites applications for qualified Junior Specialists in general support of molecular, cellular, epigenetic, microscopy based, and physiological experiments related to the study of diabetes. All activities will be conducted in the lab.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Research (80%) The position requires creative contributions to research projects exploring the biological basis of behavior. The position includes both direct work on research projects and oversight of animal care. As such, the incumbent must be comfortable juggling multiple concurrent tasks and be highly organized and structured in doing so. They must also be comfortable working with and maintaining positive relationships with other lab members in a variety of roles. The animals we work with are central to all our research in the Fischer lab, and a key component of the position is oversight of and direct contributions to animal care. The incumbent must be comfortable working with live animals including collection of tissue samples. Because we maintain a PI-managed animal facility, this will include some non‑standard working hours (i.e., weekends and holidays). The utmost commitment to humane, ethical treatment of animals and compliance with all animal protocols is expected. The incumbent must be comfortable managing other lab members (e.g., training, developing schedules, and responding to questions), assisting others with animal monitoring, and maintaining oversight of active projects in the frog room. In consultation with the Principal Investigator, the incumbent will help determine research goals, design specific projects, and lead data collection, curation, and analysis. Regular research tasks will include but are not limited to behavioral data collection; hormone and gene expression manipulations; molecular work (DNA and RNA extraction, PCR, etc.); tissue preparation, sectioning, and staining; microscopy/imaging; analysis of data using R, BORIS, ImageJ, Fiji, and other software. We are committed to rigor and reproducibility, and this is a key component of all aspects of data collection and analysis. The incumbent is expected to help others with ongoing research projects and may be allowed to develop independent projects if the incumbent and the PI agree this is feasible after the incumbent is fully trained. Professional competence (10%) The incumbent is expected to actively participate in weekly lab meetings. Alongside regular research and logistics updates, the incumbent will present a formal research update twice annually. The incumbent is encouraged to attend seminars and engage with the vibrant intellectual community at UC Davis. The incumbent will be encouraged to participate in community engagement activities (K‑12, general public). The incumbent will be supported in developing their oral and written communication skills for science and non‑science audiences and will receive professional mentoring on career objectives from the PI. Service (10%) The incumbent will provide training in lab procedures, animal care, and lab safety to all new lab members, and will act as a mentor to undergraduate researchers. Along with the PI, the incumbent will oversee lab safety compliance and general lab upkeep (ordering, monitoring equipment, scheduling, etc.). #J-18808-Ljbffr University of California