POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Research Technician to join our dynamic team in the Killian Laboratory for Vision and Memory Research within the Department of Neurological Surgery at Montefiore-Einstein. The successful candidate will support cutting-edge research on understanding brain structure and function related to learning and memory processes in mice. This role involves a combination of laboratory and animal care responsibilities, including brain sectioning, imaging, quantification, mouse husbandry, and assisting in various behavioral experiments.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Animal Maintenance and Monitoring: Help manage the ordering of animals for research purposes and maintain accurate identification and records for animal tracking. Regularly monitor animals for health status, behavior, and well-being.
• Behavioral Experiments: Support the execution of various behavioral experiments, including the Morris water maze, novel object recognition, object placement test, head-fixed associative learning task, and T-maze associative learning task.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Assist in collecting and analyzing data from behavioral and neuronal experiments. Use custom software and MATLAB for quantifying behavior and processing video tracking data.
• Isolation of protein, RNA, and DNA from cells and/or tissue samples
• Western Blot
• Sectioning Brains: Utilize microtomy techniques to prepare brain sections for further analysis.
• Imaging and Quantification of Brain Sections: Employ advanced imaging techniques to capture detailed images of brain sections and perform quantitative analyses.
• Collaboration: Work closely with laboratory personnel to ensure the smooth operation of the laboratory, maintain equipment, and contribute to scientific discussions and problem-solving.

The person will:

• Require occasional guidance;
• Occasionally be responsible for ordering routine supplies;
• Rarely modify technical procedures;
• Rarely train other lab members;
• Rarely guide other lab members;
• A simple / limited understanding of scientific literature and the research goals and rationale is required;
• Occasionally analyze data;
• Rarely interpret data