Research Lab Specialist / Aging and Neuroscience

Job Title: Research Lab Specialist / Aging and Neuroscience

Job Number: 65502

Location: Los Angeles, US

Job Description

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. USC is consistently ranked among the nation’s most prestigious universities, and the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology features one of the world’s best degree and research programs in gerontology. The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology has an international reputation as a hub of aging research and with additional strong programs throughout the university, leads the way in defining and advancing the field of gerontology: https://gero.usc.edu

The Benayoun laboratory (http://gero.usc.edu/labs/benayounlab/) at the University of Southern California (USC) Leonard Davis School of Gerontology is seeking a Research Lab Specialist to join our team.  

This person will join a lab working on the molecular basis of aging and age-related diseases. This is an opportunity for a reliable and self-motivated person to participate in cutting-edge aging research. The Research Lab Specialist will be working on a project to map vertebrate brain aging as part of a nationwide collaborative effort. Specifically, they will join a project to map brain aging at the single-cell level in the naturally short-lived African turquoise killifish, an emerging model organism that the lab has helped develop.

The primary responsibility for this position will be to help develop, validate, and disseminate a single-cell atlas of brain aging in the African turquoise killifish covering females and males, as well as several genetically divergent strains, across ages. This will also include helping develop and standardize assays to measure and quantify age-related decline. Secondary responsibilities will be to assist with data generation/analysis in related research projects and make contributions to related research projects in the laboratory.

Reporting directly to the Principal Investigator, the Research Lab Specialist will work in collaboration with other team members. The ideal candidate will have training in experimental molecular and cellular biology and/or neuroscience and have previous experience with in situ hybridization and imaging techniques. Previous experience with vertebrate model systems, experimental genomics (e.g., RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, 10xGenomics, etc.), and/or transposon biology are highly desirable. Candidates should have, or will soon receive, a Ph.D. or equivalent diploma in molecular and cellular biology, genetics, or another relevant subject area. Successful candidates should have strong training records and must be able to learn and work independently yet collaborate effectively with students and staff within the lab. Knowledge of and experience working in higher education is preferred.

Roles and responsibilities to include:

• Plan and conduct highly technical and complex research projects, procedures, and analyses, in collaboration with the PI and other lab members. Maintain detailed records of experiments, analyses, and outcomes.
• Contribute to the development of new research protocols and procedures or adaptation of existing protocols to the model.
• Contribute to the publication of findings and present ongoing work and findings to colleagues at academic conferences.
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The University reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.
   

Preferred Qualifications:

• The ideal candidate will possess a master’s degree and 3 years of research experience, or a PhD.
• Proficient with microscopy, genomics, molecular biology
• Experience working in the higher education field is ideal.
   

This is an exempt position with work expected during normal business hours. This position will work full-time on campus. Benefits include a competitive salary, and a rich array of USC benefits including healthcare (including dental and vision), 403(b), tuition reimbursement, national holidays, paid vacation, and more.

This position is funded by a research contract/grant and may be funded by a subsequent contract/grant. Accordingly, your position is contingent upon receipt of the necessary funding from this or any subsequent contract/grant to continue employment.

The annual base salary range for this position is $64,480-$72,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

If you are interested, please submit your completed application, including a cover letter and resume with contact information for three references.

Application Deadline: 2023-11-01