Position Objective: Provide services as a Laboratory Technician in support of the overall functions of National Institute on Aging (NIA) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Under this task order, the contractor will independently provide support services to satisfy the overall operational objectives of the National Institute on Aging – Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (CARD). The primary objective is to provide services and deliverables through performance of support services.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work with staff on performing various experiments and procedures related to differentiation and phenotyping of induced pluripotent stem cell lines.
• Work with staff to provide insight into the effects of ADRD-associated mutations on molecular readouts in cell culture.
• Work with staff to characterize genetic pathways for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) using human cell-based models.
• Work with staff to apply published protocols for cell differentiation to IPSC lines, microscopy, and molecular analysis. Program, operate, and implement novel methods on liquid handling platforms (Hamilton, Tecan).
• Work with staff on performing large-scale iPSC cell culture experiments on liquid handling platforms. Support other research projects.
• Collaborate with other team members to carry out large-scale cell culture protocols using high throughout robotic systems.
• Perform standard immunological techniques, including western blotting and immunostaining.
• Maintain laboratory equipment.
• Operate laboratory equipment to analyze samples.
• Analyze laboratory findings .
• Train staff on the proper usage of laboratory instruments and equipment.
• Provide assistance to laboratory staff in designing experiments, using instrumentation, data acquisition and analysis, and preparing figures for publication.
• Work as a team to provide upkeep of scientific equipment and resources including reagents, stocks of frozen sells, animal samples including acquisition, documentation, and storage.
• Program and use computers to store, process, and analyze data.
• Monitor operational procedures in technical environments to ensure conformance to standards Interpret research or operational data.
• Record research or operational data.
• Develop new automated differentiation protocols for iPSC lines to differentiate into disease-relevant cell types like neurons, astrocytes, and microglia.
• Develop image analysis routines to analyze the effects of disease-associated mutations on cellular phenotypes.
• Clean Equipment - Daily
• Meet with lab members to present updates - Weekly
• Work products and documents related to characterizing genetic pathways for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) using human cell-based models; use IPSC lines to develop the differentiation protocols. - Weekly
• Work products and documents related to evaluating the stability of differentiated cells across clines and passages to identify cell lines with desirable characteristics for subsequent cell engineering. - Weekly
• Work products and documentation to develop differentiation, microscopy, and automated cell culture protocols. Work products and documentation resulting from large-scale automated cell culture phenotyping of iPSC lines. - Weekly
• Work products and documents related to providing insight into the effects of ADRD-associated mutations on molecular readouts in cell culture; conduct independent research relating to the genetics of ADRD. - Weekly
• Inspect Equipment - Weekly
• Work products and documents related to applying published protocols for cell differentiation to IPSC lines, microscopy and molecular analysis. Work products and documents related to updating and maintaining laboratory notebooks and databases; collect, analyze and interpret data; prepare summaries and reports based on results and findings; draft and revise manuscripts for publication; attend meetings and present results and findings for staff discussion. - Bi-Weekly

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in cell biology, neurobiology, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of one (1) year of related experience.
• Skilled in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
• Experience with human iPSC culture and automated platforms.
• Experience in scripting/coding to create, test, and perform new methods in automated cell culture platforms.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Knowledge of basic Venus-based method scripting for Hamilton robot preferred.
• Knowledge of proper laboratory disposal methods and procedures.
• Team player in large research institutes.
• Ability to multi-task and pay close attention to detail.
• Excellent analytical, organizational and time management skills.
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written.