What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research Assistant position at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine?
Position Summary
The Sidarala Laboratory is seeking a highly motivated Research Assistant to join a dynamic research program focused on understanding how mitochondrial dynamics regulates pancreatic β-cell function, aging, and diabetes. The successful candidate will contribute to projects investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes using cutting-edge molecular biology, imaging, and metabolic approaches.
This position is ideal for individuals interested in gaining extensive research experience before pursuing graduate, medical, or professional school, or for candidates seeking a career in biomedical research. Outstanding candidates will have opportunities to co-author peer-reviewed publications and present research at regional and national scientific meetings.
Research Areas
Projects in the laboratory focus on:
- Pancreatic islet biology and β-cell physiology
- Mitochondrial dynamics, cellular metabolism and bioenergetics
- Aging and age-associated metabolic diseases
- Translational studies using mouse and human β-cell models
Training Opportunities
The Research Assistant will receive training in modern techniques including:
- Pancreatic islet isolation and functional assays
- Live-cell and super-resolution confocal imaging
- Metabolic phenotyping
- Molecular and cellular biology
- Experimental design and statistical analysis
- Scientific writing and presentation skills
Primary Responsibilities
The Research Assistant will:
- Manage and maintain mouse colonies, including colony organization, record keeping, and health monitoring
- Establish breeding schemes and genotyping workflows to generate experimental mouse cohorts
- Assist with and perform in vivo studies, including animal handling, injections, metabolic phenotyping, glucose and insulin tolerance tests, blood and tissue collection, and other physiological assessments (training provided as needed)
- Perform pancreatic islet isolations from mice (training provided as needed)
- Perform molecular biology techniques including DNA/RNA extraction, PCR, qPCR, cloning, and genotyping
- Conduct biochemical assays including Western blotting, ELISA, insulin secretion assays, and enzyme activity measurements
- Prepare laboratory reagents and solutions, maintain laboratory equipment, manage inventory, and ensure compliance with laboratory safety procedures
- Organize, analyze, and maintain accurate records of experimental data using electronic laboratory notebooks
- Participate in laboratory meetings and contribute to manuscript preparation and grant applications as appropriate
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or a closely related field
- Strong organizational and communication skills
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
- Excellent attention to detail and commitment to maintaining accurate research records; Willingness to learn new laboratory techniques
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with one or more of the following is desirable but not required:
- Experience working with laboratory mice, including animal handling and husbandry
- Experience managing transgenic or knockout mouse colonies, including breeding strategies and colony record keeping
- Familiarity with mouse genotyping techniques, including DNA extraction and PCR
- Experience with in vivo procedures such as injections, blood collection, metabolic phenotyping, or tissue harvesting
- Experience with pancreatic islet isolation or other tissue dissection techniques
- Experience with mammalian cell culture and molecular biology techniques, including PCR, qPCR, Western blotting, or cloning
- Familiarity with immunofluorescence microscopy or confocal microscopy
- Experience with data management, electronic laboratory notebooks, and basic statistical analysis
Salary and Benefits
Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. Benefits are provided in accordance with Marshall University policies.
Application Materials
Applicants should submit:
- Cover letter describing research interests and career goals
- Curriculum vitae or résumé
- Unofficial transcripts