Job Description

Our lab is seeking a Research Professional 3 to help manage the lab and lead projects focused on the role of the gut-brain axis in the development of metabolic disease and cancer. The Duca lab is extremely interested in the role of diet and the gut microbiome in obesity and diabetes and intestinal cancers, with an emphasis on the impact of gastrointestinal nutrient sensing and signaling to the brain. The lab specializes in utilizing transgenic animal models along with sophisticated surgical techniques to test hypotheses in-vivo, coupled with extensive ex-vivo molecular biology assessments and metagenomics and metabolomic data. The successful candidate would be responsible for managing day to day operations of the lab, including ordering and inventory, as well as leading the various experiments. Major tasks will include maintaining transgenic colonies, assisting with complex in-vivo studies and ex-vivo molecular biology, and spearheading experiments involving primary cell or organoid models.

Typical job duties will include:

30%  Lab Management
Perform basic maintenance of laboratory equipment and order supplies and parts.
Manage orders for required reagents and materials for experiments.
Maintain inventory of reagents and samples in refrigerators and freezers.
Oversee and be responsible for all various lab approvals and inspections.

25%  Mouse Colony Maintenance
Maintain transgenic mice lines
Perform PCR to confirm transgenic lines

25%  Assist in In-vivo studies
Perform and assist with survival surgeries in mice and rats. Surgeries include: gut and vascular catheters, neural manipulations, stereotaxic surgery
Responsible for maintaining metabolic indirect calorimetry cages
Perform and assist in long-term dietary studies involving measuring food intake, body weight, adiposity in mice
Performing and assisting with various glucose and insulin tolerance tests.
Perform and assist in germ-free mice experiments

20%  Molecular Biology Experiments
Responsible for running various molecular biology techniques like Western Blot, qPCR,etc.
Section tissue and run immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, or RNAScope for mostly intestine and brain.
Independently conduct ELISAs and other assays.

All required qualifications must be included in the application materials

Required Qualifications:
BA/BS in Physiology, Neuroscience, Biology, Biochemistry, or related field, plus at least four years of research lab experience, or a combination of education and work experience to equal eight years.
Experience with ordering equipment and reagents for the laboratory.
Experience with rodent handling and willingness to learn rodents techniques
Laboratory experience with common molecular biology techniques including DNA, RNA, protein extraction, qPCR, western blot, and ELISAs and other assays.
Ability to carry out research protocols from written or oral instructions by supervisor.

Preferred Qualifications:
Extensive experience with in-vivo rodent techniques (injections, gavage, etc)
Experience with survival surgery techniques, especially vascular catheterization and/or stereotaxic surgery.
Understanding of animal husbandry and transgenic mouse lines.
Ability to section tissue (preferably brain or intestine) via microtome or cryostat.
Experience with immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, or RNAscope
Experience with HEK cells preferred and previous flow cytometry experience a plus.
Ability to perform cell culture or organoid studies

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

Connections working at University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Job Tags

Work experience placement,

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