Senior Research Assistant

at  Oregon Health Science University

Department Overview:
Overview: The Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR) center is a collaborative institution within the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. The Knight Cancer Institute, known as one of the pioneers in personalized cancer medicine, is an international leader in research and cancer treatment. At CEDAR, our mission is to detect and stop lethal cancers at the earliest stage because early detection saves lives. This is an ambitious goal, one that requires novelty, creativity, and innovation. We are comprised of biologists, chemists, biomedical engineers, computationalists, and clinicians conducting groundbreaking translational cancer research to help people maintain a high quality of life and reduce cancer mortality, create a global early detection community, and have a positive impact on the Oregon economy.
Our Commitment to Diversity: CEDAR is committed to increasing the diversity of the campus community. We are dedicated to promoting inclusion and multiculturalism by having outstanding researchers of diverse backgrounds work together on multiple projects. We encourage high-risk, high-reward research projects because defeating cancer requires out-of-the-box thinking and new perspectives. Our research is milestone-driven to ensure that each project is fulfilling its stated goals.

Every Knight Cancer employee is expected to embody our guiding principles:

• We act BOLDLY—Breakthroughs require pushing the boundaries of science, exploring new frontiers, and thinking differently
• We SUPPORT each other—Respect leads to trust, which leads to excellence
• We work as a CONNECTED team—We must leverage our collective brain power to conquer cancer because no one individual can do it alone

Function/Duties of Position:
As a Senior Research Assistant, you will be part of collaborative CEDAR project teams focusing on advancing early cancer detection. You will support CEDAR research by assisting in research activities of CEDAR projects where needed and as appropriate for your training and interest. You will help to design and implement experiments and will have independent responsibility for research studies. You will conduct research with minimal supervision. You will have a detailed knowledge of all aspects of laboratory research and need to be comfortable working both individually and in highly collaborative teams. You should possess good organizational and interpersonal skills. You will contribute to the scientific direction and planning for projects within CEDAR. Major roles for you will involve providing support and working directly in projects involving animal work, cellular and molecular biology experiments, assisting in experimental design, training scientists and supervising students and Research Assistants, maintaining laboratory space and supplies, assisting in various other research activities, and organizing samples, datasets and studies.
Required Qualifications:

Education & experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field and 1 year of relevant experience OR equivalent combination of training and experience
• 2-3 years in a research position and strong, prior experience working with rodents

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Ability to operate complex scientific equipment and develop and troubleshoot complex experimental protocols Must possess energy and drive to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously: prioritize, schedule, manage and coordinate
• Demonstrated ability to undertake research and project management work under broad direction only, exercise initiative in undertaking responsibilities and work effectively with team members
• Demonstrated high level organization and communication skills
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills, including the ability to work both collaboratively in a team and autonomously when required
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with a high performing work group in problem solving
• Demonstrated ability to build productive cross functional collaborations both internally and externally
• Demonstrated ability to learn new and innovative processes quickly
• Training in handling chemical and biologically hazardous materials
• Knowledge of policy and regulations applicable to the laboratory, including but not limited to safety, animal use and radiation
• Technical proficiency, scientific creativity, collaborative ability, and independent thinker
• Ability to analyze short and long term project needs
• Must have excellent communication, analytical and organizational skills: both written and verbal
• Ability to use tact and diplomacy to maintain effective working relationships
• Proficient with computers specifically MS Office (which includes, Excel, Access, Word and PowerPoint) and statistical analysis software

Preferred Qualifications:

• Expertise in early cancer detection, expertise in one of our focus areas: early detection technology, risk stratification, population health and prevention, prognosis assessment, early therapeutics
• Experience working within OHSU’s Department of Comparative Medicine
• Familiarity with OHSU shared research resources
• Strong experience with mouse injections, xenograft tumors, and small animal imaging
• Experience with cell and tissue culture
• Experience with biologic tissue and sample collection and preparation
• Experience in handling chemical and biologically hazardous materials
• Ability to train diverse students and Research Assistants

Additional Details:
Apply online. Please be sure to upload a Cover Letter and Resume/CV.

Please refer the Job description for details