Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Iowa Lions Eye Bank (ILEB)

Title:  Temp Laboratory Research Assistant

Classification Code:  PRK1

Basic Function and Responsibility

The temp Laboratory Research Assistant conducts general morphological, molecular biological, AND/OR cell culture sections of a multidisciplinary vision research laboratory; assists in independently maintaining human corneal endothelial cell cultures; assists in performing qPCR assays; records, consolidates and reports research data; and assists with the maintenance of living animals (husbandry, feeding, checking water).

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities

• Prepare human specimens for morphological (tissue sectioning, immunohistochemistry, histochemistry), molecular biological (RNA and DNA isolation, Northern and Southern blot analyses, PCR, RT-PCR, Q-PCR), biochemical (SDS-PAGE and Western blotting), and cell culture studies.
• Maintain cultures of human corneal endothelial cells.
• Prepare images, photographic plates and supplemental materials for reports, manuscripts, and presentations.
• Participate in the acquisition of research ophthalmic tissue and preparation of tissue for research from human donors on an as needed basis.
• Enter data, graph, and interpret results on Macintosh and PC computers.
• Perform computer and library database searches on specified topics to further research.

Supervision Received

Supervision and training in advanced techniques will be provided by the Principal Investigator or a qualified designee on an ongoing basis. It is expected that the temp Research Assistant will perform most duties with minimal supervision once completely trained.

Supervision Exercised

None

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an academic field related to biological sciences or related fields, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Practical or academic knowledge of basic laboratory procedures and an ability to translate, adapt, and apply this knowledge.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills required including ability to compose communications and grammatically correct documents in a concise, logical and organized manner.
• Demonstrate careful attention to detail and accuracy, strong organizational skills and ability to handle multiple tasks quickly and effectively, proactively establish priorities and meet deadlines.

Desirable Qualifications

• Two (2) years+ of documentable basic and applied research experience with specific theoretical and applied knowledge of tissue culture procedures and techniques; specifically morphological (tissue sectioning, immunohistochemistry, histochemistry, and electron microscopy), genetic and molecular biological (RNA and DNA isolation, Northern and Southern blot analyses, PCR, RT-PCR, Q-PCR), biochemical (SDS-PAGE and Western blotting), and cell culture techniques.
• Working knowledge of computer programs and applications for the analysis of genetic data, statistical analysis programs, bioinformatics, genetic databases, and including the applications Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Image J and Photoshop.
• Previous experience with confocal microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, image analysis, and post-image processing
• Experience with live animal handling.
• Experience/knowledge with human ocular tissue