Research Assistant, Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 21,593 - 30,754; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health coverage

Tuition remission

Robust retirement plans

Generous time-off policy

Job summary

The University of Cincinnati is seeking a full-time Research Assistant for our Biological Sciences department. This role involves significant wet lab research related to organismal response to environmental pressures, alongside training lab members in various tasks.

Ideal candidates will have a Bachelor's Degree and experience with fish husbandry and molecular techniques. The position offers a competitive salary of $19.00 per hour and a robust benefits package.

Qualifications

• Experience with fish husbandry and routine molecular techniques.
• Detail-oriented with excellent organization and communication skills.
• Experience in training and supervising undergraduate students.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate research activities for a National Science Foundation-funded project.
• Train graduate and undergraduate students.
• Maintain live animal colony and perform general lab housekeeping.

Skills

Fish husbandry

Molecular techniques

Bioinformatic analyses

Communication skills

Organization skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

MS Office Suite

Statistical software

Job description

Job Title: Research Assistant, Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

Posting Start Date: 5/27/26

Work Arrangement: Onsite

Job Overview

The Gross Lab at the University of Cincinnati is seeking to hire a full‑time Research Technician. Our lab examines the nature of organismal response to environmental pressures, using the Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus). The primary responsibilities for this position include wet lab research activities (40%), training other lab members in experimental tasks (30%), and animal husbandry and lab maintenance tasks (30%). This is a full‑time position, with the expectation of 40 hours per week. The initial appointment will have a 6‑month probationary period, and then be extended to one year based on performance. The position is renewable pending available funding.

Essential Functions

The successful candidate will primarily facilitate research activities for a National Science Foundation‑funded project investigating craniofacial and sensory evolution. In collaboration with the laboratory head, this position involves training and performing experimentation, training graduate and undergraduate students, maintenance of our live animal colony, and general lab housekeeping duties.

Minimum Requirements

Ideally, the successful candidate will have experience with fish husbandry, routine molecular techniques (e.g., nucleic acid extraction and cloning, PCR amplification), and dry lab techniques (e.g., basic bioinformatic analyses). The successful candidate must be detail‑oriented with excellent organization and communication skills.

Required Education

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Four (4) years of relevant work experience and/or other specialized training can be used in lieu of the education requirement.

Required Experience

Additional related work experience may be required depending on field or discipline.

Additional Qualifications Considered

• Over 6 months experience in live animal care.
• Prior experience with fluorescence and light microscopy, cryosectioning, tissue culture and transplantation.
• Experience processing and analyzing RNA‑sequencing and genome‑wide sequencing projects.
• Experience with imaging and word processing software programs (MS Office Suite).
• Experience training and supervising undergraduate students.
• Experience with data analyses using statistical software.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

• Sitting – continuously.
• Repetitive hand motion (such as typing) – often.
• Hearing, listening – often.
• Talking – often.
• Standing – often.
• Walking – often.
• Bending – often.
• Stooping – often.
• Lifting – up to 20 pounds – often.
• Kneeling, squatting – seldom.
• Noise – sufficient noise level such that you may need to shout to be heard.
• Hazards – proximity to moving mechanical parts of machinery or tools, moving vehicles, electrical current, working on scaffolding or high places, or exposure to chemicals.
• Atmospheric conditions – fumes, odors, dust, mists, gases, or poor ventilation affecting respiratory system.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary/Hourly Pay Rate Information: 19.00 / hour

• Salary of $19.00 hourly based on experience.
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription).
• Flexible spending accounts & wellness programs.
• Professional development & mentorship opportunities.

UC offers an exceptional benefits package designed to support your well‑being, financial security, and work‑life balance. Highlights include tuition remission for you and eligible dependents, robust retirement plans with UC contributing 14-18% of your salary, generous time‑off policy with vacation and sick time, 11 paid holidays, additional end‑of‑year paid time off, 6 weeks of paid parental leave, and other benefits.

UC is an E‑Verify employer. If hired, you will be required to provide satisfactory proof of employment eligibility with acceptable, original forms of identification for employment verification via the Federal I‑9 process.

Equal Opportunity Employer. Building a workplace where all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, including Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans.