Senior Research Associate

at  Oregon Health Science University

Department Overview:
An exciting opportunity in the field of cancer immunotherapy has been created in the laboratory of Dr. Kate Byrne in the Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology Department at Oregon Health and Science University. Dr. Byrne’s research program is currently focused on understanding the tumor-immune microenvironment and the impact of immunotherapies to design better approaches for intervening and treating pancreatic cancer.
This position requires deep and extensive knowledge and expertise in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Expert level knowledge on T cell development, T cell differentiation in vitro and in vivo is required as is knowledge of the experimental approaches to explore these processes as this position will be responsible for overseeing the design, execution, and interpretation of experiments that support the research goals and grant commitments of the lab. The person will be responsible for the independent design of new experimental procedures, performing data analysis, managing the laboratory, training and supervising students and junior staff, writing standard operating procedures and manuscripts, authoring/co-authoring manuscripts, writing components of the PIs grant applications, and presenting their work at conferences and/or meetings. The position will require direct supervision of trainees in the lab. The Byrne Lab uses mouse models of pancreatic cancer and as such, this position requires deep animal handling expertise and management of a large mouse colony. The ability to troubleshoot genotyping issues, perform complex 3-5 transgene intercrosses, and maintain animal colony numbers consistent with research needs is required. In addition, this person will support general lab functions as well as sponsored research agreements and collaborations with investigators outside of the University.

Function/Duties of Position:

• Performing on-boarding required for essential lab functions for junior lab members including mouse colony management, and electronic notebooks.
• Designing and executing experiments; identifying, testing, and implementing novel experimental and organizational procedures in the lab, collecting, analyzing, and quantifying data;
• Putting together IACUC/IRB renewals, submitting amendments as needed for ongoing research in the laboratory. Ensure laboratory compliance with EHS policies.
• Authoring manuscripts for peer reviewed publication. Support grant applications for funding of the research laboratory.
• Attending and presenting research at lab meetings, seminars and conferences.
• Ordering, organizing, and maintain laboratory supplies.

Required Qualifications:

• PhD in relevant field AND 1 year of relevant experience OR
• Master’s Degree in relevant field AND 5 years of relevant experience OR
• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field AND 9 years of relevant experience
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with model organisms, cell culture, functional analyses (proliferation/apoptosis assays, Western blot, real-time qPCR, etc.), and molecular cloning is required

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with human cells directly ex vivo.
• 7-10 years of experience in cancer immunotherapy laboratory setting.
• First-author publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
• Experience and knowledge about flow cytometry, flow sorting, TCR repertoire assays, in vivo murine tumor models, T cell functional assays and immunotherapy literature.

Additional Details:
Work is generally 40 hours per week during regular business hours, however, evening and weekend work will be necessary on occasion. Additional safety training will be required to work with cell lines/ infectious bacteria or viruses/ working within a BSL-2 environment. Use of dosimeter and adherence to radiological safety ordinances is required. Working with laboratory animals and human cells is required.
All are welcome: Oregon Health & Science University values a diverse and culturally competent workforce. We are proud of our commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization that does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of any protected class status, including disability status and protected veteran status. Individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and a culture of inclusion are encouraged to apply. To request reasonable accommodation contact the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Department at 503-494-5148 or aaeo@ohsu.edu

• Performing on-boarding required for essential lab functions for junior lab members including mouse colony management, and electronic notebooks.
• Designing and executing experiments; identifying, testing, and implementing novel experimental and organizational procedures in the lab, collecting, analyzing, and quantifying data;
• Putting together IACUC/IRB renewals, submitting amendments as needed for ongoing research in the laboratory. Ensure laboratory compliance with EHS policies.
• Authoring manuscripts for peer reviewed publication. Support grant applications for funding of the research laboratory.
• Attending and presenting research at lab meetings, seminars and conferences.
• Ordering, organizing, and maintain laboratory supplies