Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of diverse individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your diversity of culture, thinking, learning, and leading is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt's mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

Anesthesiology

Job Summary:

JOB SUMMARY
A Research Assistant II is sought for this position. It is expected that the successful candidate will work with other lab personnel to carry out research projects that are important to advancing our research program. Important characteristics include strong technical and analytical skills, ability to trouble shoot and a supportive and collegial personality. The skills listed below can be taught to the right candidate. We are looking for a bright, enthusiastic person that will fit well with the supportive environment in our laboratory.

Our research group is studying the innate immune response to infection. The successful candidate will work closely with the Principal Investigator and other lab personnel to move our research program forward. Current research projects include:
1.The immunomodulatory properties of TLR and dectin-1 agonists and their ability to modify the host response to systemic infection. Our interest is in defining the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which these agonists promote the antimicrobial functions of myeloid cells with the ultimate goals of better understanding innate immune system function and developing drug candidates that can be used to improve the resistance of vulnerable patients to infection.
2.The contribution of cellular metabolism to innate leukocyte function in health and disease. Our interest is in defining how innate leukocytes reprogram metabolic functions in response to infection and how these alterations contribute the development of innate immune memory.
3.The cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating innate immune memory. In addition to understanding the metabolic basis of innate immune memory, we have an avid interest in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that facilitate the development of innate immune memory including epigenetics, intracellular microbial killing mechanisms and the contribution of trained leukocytes to organ protection.

Desired skill set:
Basic knowledge of immunology
Leukocyte isolation and subset purification (Magnet-based cell enrichment and cell sorting)
Antibody labeling of cells and flow cytometry
Plate-based leukocyte functional assays
ELISA and Bio-Plex techniques for cytokine/chemokine protein measurement
Tissue staining and basic fluorescence microscopy skills
Microbiology skills (broth and agar cultures, colony counting, etc)
Mouse surgery and tissue harvesting
RNA isolation, qPCR and preparation of samples for RNAseq analysis
Western blotting
Experience with single cell RNAseq desirable
Experience with epigenetics (histone/DNA modifications) desirable

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
* Under moderate supervision, conduct and evaluate experiments and assays
* Understand and follow experimental protocols (may include animal handling, tissue culture, etc.)
* Record, compile, interpret, and communicate data/results
* Follow University safety protocols (may include use of combustibles, radioactivity, toxic material, and/or carcinogens)
* Perform calculations involving molarity, % solutions, and serial dilutions
* Prepare, operate and troubleshoot equipment in experimental procedures
* Read and follow all equipment manuals
* Maintain and repair equipment according to manufacturer and University guidelines
* Ensure Laboratory is prepared for experiments
* Maintain inventories
* Maintain sterile conditions as required
* Prepare reagents
* Demonstrate an understanding of acceptable procedures and techniques
* Recognize problems and suggest solutions
* Assist in modifications as directed
* Provide appropriate written documentation of experiments
* Prepare preliminary research progress reports
* Summarize test results appropriately

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of diverse individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your diversity of culture, thinking, learning, and leading is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt's mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and to the principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. EOE/AA/Women/Minority/Vets/Disabled

Our Academic Enterprise is one of the nation's longest serving and most prestigious academic medical centers. Through its historic bond with Vanderbilt University and integral role in the School of Medicine, Vanderbilt Health cultivates distinguished research and educational programs to advance a clinical enterprise that provides compassionate and personalized care and support for millions of patients and family members each year.

World-leading academic departments and comprehensive centers of excellence pursue scientific discoveries and transformational educational and clinical advances across the entire spectrum of health and disease.

Aligning with Vanderbilt Health's Strategic Directions, the Office of Research provides shared research resources, administrative expertise and professional guidance to enable the trans-disciplinary environment and highly collaborative culture that advances discovery and training for all the research faculty, trainees, students and staff.

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area. Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues:- Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.- Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services:- Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.- Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.- Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.- Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.- Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation:- Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.- Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.- Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications :

Work Experience :

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level :

2 years

Education :

Bachelor's

Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and to the principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. EOE/AA/Women/Minority/Vets/Disabled