Laboratory Assistant 1 - Surgery (Limited)

UCLA Health; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 37,000 - 44,000; Part time

Job summary

UCLA Health is seeking a part-time Laboratory Assistant 1 to support a cutting-edge Cardiac Surgery research lab. You will work under a mentor and contribute to designing non-invasive physiologic sensors to aid patient recovery and improve surgical outcomes.

The role requires cell culture experience, aseptic technique, and strong lab skills, with duties spanning inventory, data collection, and routine procedures per safety rules. This may convert to a career over time.

Qualifications

• Cell culture experience including aseptic technique and primary cell culture.
• General laboratory techniques such as weighing, sterilizing, titration, glassware washing, and reagent prep.
• Molecular techniques knowledge.
• Ability to keep accurate research records and timely lab journals.
• Ability to follow experimental protocols and record methods clearly.
• Ability to work in a team and communicate effectively.

Responsibilities

• Perform routine and basic lab procedures in a Cardiac Surgery research lab.
• Assist in design and characterization of non-invasive physiologic sensors for experiments.
• Help with inventory control, ordering supplies, and preparing lab materials.
• Ensure safety and regulatory compliance and support lab manager as needed.
• Contribute to data analysis and documentation of findings.

Skills

Cell culture

Aseptic technique

Molecular techniques

Data analysis

Lab records

Team collaboration

Protocol interpretation

Concentration calculations

Tools

Incubators

Tissue culture hoods

Centrifuges

Balances

pH meter

Job description

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Onsite or Remote

Fully On-Site

Work Schedule

Posted Date

09/10/2026

Salary Range: $27.04 - 32.31 Hourly

Employment Type

4 - Staff: Limited

Duration

12 months

Job #

32833

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

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Perform duties of a part-time Laboratory Assistant 1 in a cutting-edge Cardiac Surgery research laboratory focusing on developing treatments for acquired cardiac diseases in adults. Under the mentorship of Dr. Peyman Benharash, you will contribute to ongoing research into the design and performance of non-invasive physiologic sensors to aid patient recovery and improve surgical outcomes.

Specific tasks of the Laboratory Assistant will be to complete a variety of routine and basic laboratory procedures including, but not limited to, data analysis and the design and characterization of non-invasive physiologic sensor for use in experiments and patient testing. Laboratory support duties include helping lab manager with inventory control, ordering of supplies and preparation of laboratory materials and reagents in line with all safety and regulatory requirements as needs dictate. Other duties as assigned.

This is a part-time, limited position that may convert to career.

Hourly Salary Range: $27.04 - $32.31. Please note that the department's target hourly rate is $27.04.

Job Qualifications

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Required:

• Cell culture experience including aseptic technique and primary cell culture
• Ability to perform general laboratory techniques such as weighing, sterilizing, titration, glassware washing, filtering, reagent and buffer prep, maintaining sterile technique.
• Knowledge and understanding of molecular techniques.
• Skill in keeping accurate and complete research records.
• Ability to recognize irregularities and invalid results.
• Ability to make sound measurements and observations.
• Ability to work as part of a research team and establish cooperative working relationships with researchers, residents, students, and other support personnel
• Ability to communicate in oral and written form, for the purpose of providing information to others in the laboratory.This includes the ability to record findings and methods in a laboratory journal in an accurate, complete, and timely way.
• Ability to read and understand experimental protocols as guidelines.
• Mathematical skills to calculate chemical and biological concentrations in solutions.
• Organized, detail oriented, and able to quickly adapt to the addition of novel tasks.

Preferred:

• Ability to conduct multiple experiments in close temporal proximity.
• Knowledge of how to use and maintain modern laboratory equipment including incubators, tissue culture hoods, centrifuges, balances, and pH meter.

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer. Current/former UC employees are subject to a personnel file review.