JOB SUMMARY: Leads the laboratory in performing administrative, research, and technical duties. Supervises laboratory staff, develops lab guidelines and maintains procedures.
The Ward Lab utilizes a multidisciplinary approach, including genomic, metabolomic, proteomic, and micro/mycobiomic studies on human psoriasis, combined with novel preclinical mouse models, to study the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Going between patients and mouse models, we aim to identify critical cellular pathways, interfere with these using novel genetic technologies, and determine the significance of the pathways for disease initiation and progression. We then work to translate these findings back to the clinical setting by designing and evaluating novel prevention and intervention strategies. The ideal candidate will be able and willing to work within an integrated, multidisciplinary team comprised of basic scientists, computational biologists, and physician-scientists, with significant resources for bioinformatics support, preclinical mouse models, and studies in human tissues.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Working under limited supervision, will coordinate all activities and projects within the lab. He/she will prepare and monitor budgets, perform high-level experiments, evaluate and make recommendations for modifications, train and supervise staff/fellows/residents/students and coordinate and oversee all activities within the lab, including the animal colony.
Must have expertise in understanding animal colony management as they will supervise junior research assistants who are responsible for daily husbandry/weaning/genotyping. The manager will help with planning and decision-making as needed. This individual will be responsible for training new animal husbandry staff.
Work closely with the principal investigator: This individual is expected to be the eyes and ears of the PI in the laboratory.
This individual is expected to have a strong understanding about ongoing research projects and animal models used in the lab to support lab members and enable their productivity.
Devise new protocols and techniques for research projects involving a high degree of skill and training and evaluate adequacy of techniques; study and test new procedures and analyzes data. Ensure quality control of all experimental methods and outcomes.
Carry out complex research assignments of a non-routine nature. Must have experimental expertise at the highest level in areas such as PCR, RT-qPCR, ELISA, DNA, RNA and Protein isolation. Must be able to produce critical amounts of data, paying close attention to quality control and generate new SOP's for the lab to work to ensure the quality of data is at the level it needs to be. Will collect data, analyze it, and put it into formats that are publication quality.
Must be exceedingly aware of timelines, deadlines, data integrity, data reproducibility, and have the expertise and experience to plan, execute and comprehend complex experiments, limitations of them, and correct issues with experiments in the present and in the past.
Managerial work. Contribute to the day-to-day function of the lab including maintenance of equipment and compliance documentation. May monitor the laboratory budget. Oversee inventory and order supplies. May supervise students. Will supervise technicians and research assistants. Maintain complete and detailed records and results of experiments, protocols, and animal husbandry and genotyping, using a tracking system already established in the lab.
Will be responsible for animal colony oversight. Must have an in-depth understanding of the transgenic and gene deficient mouse models used in the lab, how they are generated, how to perform animal husbandry, how to genotype them, and how to identify which mice to be kept for experiments. Will be responsible for training and supervising the animal husbandry research assistant and will be required to help make decisions about mice when necessary.
Will be the initial contact person for everything in the lab, perform all ordering, serve as the primary contact for all vendors, manage lab repairs, equipment repairs and service contracts, regular expendables (liquid nitrogen, dry ice), disposal of chemical waste, and will work closely with university staff.
Will be responsible for writing the initial draft of IACUC proposals and must be able to handle and work through compliance issues.
Will train and supervise students/fellows/residents, technicians & all other employees in the lab.
The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned.
REQUIRED SKILLS
Has knowledge of commonly-used concepts, practices, and procedures within the fields of biology, immunology, anatomy, and physiology.
Relies on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job.
Ability to operate laboratory equipment.
Must be willing to work with mice and human tissues/fluids.
Must be exceptional in the ability to organize the lab and the animal colony and get and keep it running efficiently. Must be able to work with different types of personalities and manage and resolve the conflict diplomatically.
Must demonstrate compliance with DAC/ACUP policies and procedures and compliance to regulations of the Animal Welfare Act, Public Health Service Policy, AAALAC guidelines and other applicable regulatory guidelines. Must demonstrate compassion for animals within the DAC facilities and dedication to DAC's mission. Must handle animals with care and respect at all times.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is home to Vanderbilt University Hospital, The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, the Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and the Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital. These hospitals experienced more than 61,000 inpatient admissions during fiscal year 2015. Vanderbilt’s adult and pediatric clinics treated nearly 2 million patients during this same period. Vanderbilt University Hospital and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt are recognized again this year by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals as among the nation’s best with 18 nationally ranked specialties. Vanderbilt University Medical Center is world renowned because of the innovation, work ethic and collegiality of its employees. From our health care advances to our compassionate care, Vanderbilt owes its accomplishments and reputation to staff and faculty who bring skill and drive and innovation to the medical center day after day. World-leading academic departments and comprehensive centers of excellence pursue scientific discoveries and transformational educational and clinical advances across the entire spectrum of health and disease.As t...he largest employer in middle Tennessee, we welcome those who are interested in ongoing development in a caring, culturally sensitive and professional atmosphere. Most of us spend so much of our lives at work, we want to be part of maintaining a workplace in which people support one another and encourage reaching for excellence. Many high-achieving employees stay at Vanderbilt because of the professional growth they experience and because of their appreciation of Vanderbilt’s benefits, public events and discussions, athletic opportunities, beautiful setting and, above all, sense of community and purpose.Vanderbilt and its employees share a set of mutual expectations that have been created with productivity, legality, fairness and safety always in mind. We believe that our investment in training and compensating employees multiplies in value when we enable individuals to deliver their best performance for the benefit of us all.
