Research Assistant/Technician 3

University of British Columbia - Staff; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university seeks a full-time Research Assistant / Technician 3 to support experiments in a laboratory studying immune responses using rodent models. Responsibilities include conducting experiments, maintaining animal husbandry, and managing lab supplies. Candidates should have a B.Sc. in a relevant field and strong experience in molecular biology, accompanied by effective communication skills.

Qualifications

• Completion of a technical program or B.Sc. with 3 years related experience.
• Experience in molecular biology laboratory is required.
• Familiarity with rodent research is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Conduct experiments and maintain animal breeding and husbandry.
• Manage lab supplies and assist in lab financial tracking.
• Train and demonstrate lab procedures.

Skills

Molecular biology techniques

Animal breeding and husbandry

Effective communication

Organizational skills

Education

B.Sc. in cell/molecular biology/biochemistry

Completion of a relevant technical program

Job description

Staff - Non Union

Job Category Non Union Technicians and Research Assistants Job ProfileNon Union Salaried - Research Assistant /Technician 3 Job Title Research Assistant / Technician 3 Department Viau Laboratory | Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences | Faculty of Medicine Compensation Range $4,567.04 - $5,385.67 CAD Monthly Posting End Date June 5, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

Aug 31, 2026

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary
Located within the Life Sciences Centre and the Centre for Disease Modelling at UBC, the Viau laboratory employs a transgenic rodent model designed to study sex differences in immune, neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to stress (E.g., Toews et al., Endocrinology 2022 and 2023).

Viau Lab seeks a full-time technician that will be responsible for tasks associated with running the lab including conducting experiments, responsible for tasks associated with maintaining animal breeding and husbandry, upholding biosafety and ethics protocols, ordering consumables and small equipment. Some financial aspects of the job include tracking purchases, reconciling credit card purchases, mentoring students and other technical duties required to support the running of a physiological laboratory.

Organizational Status
Receives direction works under the supervision of the Principle Investigator, Dr. Victor Viau. Assists senior level staff or trainees with the design of experiments and general laboratory procedures. Works collaboratively with lab staff including students/trainees and other personnel in the Life Sciences Center.

Work Performed

• Basic wet-lab and molecular biology techniques, including Westerns, DNA/RNA isolation/harvesting, and RT-PCR, in addition to enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) and radioimmunoassay (RIA) procedures.

• Neuroanatomical techniques, including tissue slicing, hybridization- and immuno-histochemical detection methods.

• Animal breeding and husbandry, blood sampling and tissue harvesting, minor surgical procedures and postoperative care.

• Responsible for training and demonstrating general laboratory procedures.

• Assist in managing the laboratory, ordering supplies and minor equipment for ongoing research. Maintaining inventory and updating animal care protocols as required. Assist in reconciling lab expenses purchased on UBC credit card.

• Other technical duties as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

• Follows procedures and protocols as outlined by supervisor.

• Unusual problems are referred to supervisor.

• Impact of incorrect decisions is minimal.

Supervision Received
Initial supervision will be high, but once familiar with the lab routine, daily tasks will be carried out without supervision. Supervision will occur when new experiments or procedures occur.

Minimum Qualifications:

Completion of a relevant technical program or a university degree in a relevant discipline and a minimum three years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline or Graduation from a technical college or institute. University graduate (B.Sc. in cell/molecular biology/biochemistry preferred). 3 years relevant experience in molecular biology laboratory required. Minimum of 3 years related experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience with small animal (rodent) research is highly preferred. Ability to follow and carry out instructions, and to resolve technical problems. Effective communication and organizational skills.