Research Technician

Education
Bachelor's Degree Biology preferred

Field of Study/Additional Specialized Training: Relevant backgrounds would be Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Biology, and/or Neuroscience.

Experience
Prior laboratory experience, either through academic coursework, internships, or employment. 1-2 years preferred

The Research Technician will take on several job responsibilities from our list of potential projects (below).

The major responsibilities we are looking for a RT to take on are:

High resolution OCT and multiphoton microscopy imaging

• Operating of the imaging systems will be taught, while previous experience with optical microscopy is preferred.
• Incumbent must:
  • handle brain tissue and tissue imaging solutions
  • work both independently and as a team in optical lab, operating built-in-house OCT and multi-photon microscope, performing data collection
  • conduct routine post processing and data analysis
  • learn many complicated, technical details over a short period of time; follow procedures carefully
  • work evenings and weekends to perform some of the experiments, including being on call during designated weekends to respond to technical problems
  • have a sound degree of computer literacy (for imaging and data processing)
  • knowledge of MATLAB is preferred (for data processing)

Multi-modality, multi-scale image analysis

• Computation and visualization tools such as Freesurfer will be taught.
• Conduct routine data processing for each image modality
• Conduct image registration between ex vivo MRI, OCT, multi-photon microscopy, and histological images
• Incumbent must:
  • have a sound degree of computer literacy
  • have some knowledge of scripting using C, C++, or any other code

Engineering, characterization, and test of OCT platforms that are under continuous development

• Incumbent must:
  • have a sound degree of computer literacy
  • have some knowledge of hardware control programs
  • have some knowledge of MATLAB, C, C++, or any other code

Tissue processing

• General wet lab knowledge is required for this project
• We conduct histological experiments on exvivo human brain tissue which involves:
  • sectioning
  • tissue/slide mounting
  • staining using histochemical and immunocytochemical techniques
  • acquisition and intake of brain specimens
  • maintaining laboratory solutions, supplies, and equipment in a biological lab

Other potential projects (and their qualifications):

Participating in optical system engineering, using optical modeling, and/or CAD software There are many opportunities to write/work with code & analyze large datasets of different subject populations and pathology Manually labeling the anatomy on images

• Knowledge of neuroanatomy is necessary
• Incumbent must:
  • be able to stay motivated during tedious/repetitive tasks
  • have an interest in brain anatomy
  • be detail-oriented, focused, and organized

Salary range is $45,000-$47,500

Position involves working in a fast-paced biomedical optics group within a computational neuroimaging lab. The group develops optical imaging techniques and combine with MRI and modeling to perform cutting edge research in the brain. The employee will work in a combination of general office environment, optical lab, and wet lab (at the bench) environment. The employee will work with sophisticated optical imaging systems, lasers, and wet lab equipment, such as microscope and vibratome. S/he may be exposed to various histology chemicals as well as formaldehyde at levels that are not significant enough to even come close to challenging recommended safety levels.