Research Specialist RESEARCH NEUROLOGY HV

Brigham and Women's Hospital; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 63,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc. is seeking a Research Specialist to support the Venkatesh Lab’s cancer neuroscience projects at 60 Fenwood Road, Boston. The role combines hands-on research with data analysis, documentation, and collaboration across the team.

Responsibilities include mammalian cell culture, in vivo studies with mouse models, and contributing to grant proposals and publications. The position requires a Master's degree and 3–5 years in academic research, with a hands-on,

Qualifications

• Master's degree required in related field.
• 3–5 years experience in academic or laboratory research.
• Strong problem-solving and multitasking abilities.
• Proficiency with data analysis and laboratory reporting.
• Experience with mouse handling and aseptic techniques is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Conduct high-level scientific research experiments and develop new methods.
• Contribute to literature, reports, and presentations.
• Develop study proposals and coordinate reviews.
• Supervise routine lab reporting per agreements.
• Prepare summaries for meetings and publications.
• Calculate and analyze data; produce figures.
• Identify and apply relevant literature findings.

Skills

Problem solving

Computer literacy

Organizational skills

Discretion

Deadline management

Interpersonal skills

Education

Master's degree in related field

Tools

Confocal microscopy

Image analysis software

PCR machines

Job description

Site: The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.

Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.

Job Summary

Summary

Functioning independently and under the direction of the principal investigator, performs high-level, complex scientific research experiments. On a regular basis, contributes to scientific literature, reports, journals, and presentations, and investigates, creates, and develops new methods and technologies for research advancement.

Does this position require Patient Care?
No

Essential Functions

• -Investigates, creates, and develops new methods and technologies for research advancement.
• -Contributes to scientific literature, reports, journals and presentations.
• -Develops proposals and study plans, and coordinates the institutional and external reviews of these proposals.
• -Responsible for supervising routine reports of laboratory studies, particularly as stipulated in material transfer agreements or corporate-sponsored research agreements, to be distributed to industry scientific counterparts and academic collaborators.
• -Reports on the progress of work at weekly laboratory seminars. Semi-autonomously writes up experimental work for grant applications, book chapters, and journal publications.
• -Responsible for preparing summaries of laboratory studies for meeting presentations and publications.
• -Calculates, transcribes, analyzes, and prepares figures of data using advanced statistical techniques.
• -Semi-autonomously identifies, interprets, and applies findings and methods from scientific literature relevant to projects.

Qualifications

Education: Master's Degree Related Field of Study required

Experience: Experience in an academic or laboratory research setting 3-5 years required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• - Must be a problem solver willing to take the initiative and prioritize tasks, thereby ensuring the smooth and efficient conduct of several projects simultaneously.
• - A high degree of computer literacy in order to use various spreadsheet, database, accounting and word processing programs to assist in administrative, grant proposal preparation, and research reporting activities.
• - Excellent organizational skills in order to formulate, implement, and monitor a number of interrelated tasks.
• - Ability to exercise discretion and good judgment in handling of sensitive and confidential information.
• - Ability to work under deadline pressure and prioritize work from several sources.
• - Excellent interpersonal skills for internal and external communications.

Additional Job Details (if applicable)

The Venkatesh Lab (https://venkateshlab.org) is at the forefront of cancer neuroscience, exploring the intersection of cancer biology and neuroscience to uncover the electrical and molecular mechanisms driving neuron-cancer communication. Our research focuses on characterizing and therapeutically targeting these pathways in the central and peripheral nervous systems, with the goal of developing innovative treatments by exploiting tumor microenvironment dependencies.

We are seeking a detail-oriented, motivated Research Specialist to provide technical and research support for our lab's projects. This role involves a mix of research execution (60%), mouse model work (30%), and lab upkeep (10%). Experience with mouse handling is required, and a passion for contributing to high-impact neuroscience and cancer research is essential.

Research Support (60%)

• Collaborate with researchers to generate high-quality data for publications, grant proposals, and presentations.
• Perform advanced mammalian cell culture (routine maintenance, transfection, differentiation).
• Independently executes experiments and performs data analyses of moderate complexity.
• Independently conduct IHC/IF staining, tissue mounting, and imaging (confocal/fluorescence microscopy), including image acquisition, processing, and quantitative analysis.
• Contribute to the preparation of reports, summaries, and presentations of research findings.
• Mentor and train new lab members in techniques such as mouse handling, genotyping, and experimental design.

Mouse Work (30%)

• Develop, maintain, and manage xenograft models, including patient-derived xenografts (PDX), in rodent models.
• Perform hands-on in vivo procedures including compound administration by multiple routes (IM, IP, IV, SC), blood collection, tissue collection, necropsy, and clinical observations
• Collect, organize, and interpret experimental data using standard data analysis software and methodologies.
• Ensure adherence to animal welfare regulations, research protocols, and laboratory best practices.

Lab Upkeep (10%)

• Maintain a clean, organized, and compliant lab environment, including proper storage of reagents, cells, and samples.
• Manage inventory and ordering of reagents and consumables.
• Calibrate and perform routine maintenance on critical equipment (microscopes, centrifuges, PCR machines).
• Ensure compliance with biosafety, animal care, and chemical safety regulations.
• Maintain accurate documentation (protocols, experimental records, safety data sheets).

• 3-5 years of experience in an academic research setting outside of coursework required.
• Demonstrated experience with mammalian tissue culture and aseptic technique.
• -2+ years of hands-on in vivo research experience with demonstrated ability to execute studies with increasing independence
• -Ability to design, execute, and troubleshoot protocols and experiments for vari-ous projects in the lab.
• -Experience performing common in vivo procedures including mouse handling, dosing, blood collection, tissue harvest, and necropsy
• -Strong attention to detail and commitment to high-quality data generation, doc-umentation, and reproducibility
• -Able to compile, analyze, and present data in a timely fashion, with an attention to detail and careful consideration of deadlines.

Remote Type

Onsite

Work Location

60 Fenwood Road

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Employee Type

Regular

Work Shift

Day (United States of America)

Pay Range

$63,252.80 - $102,596.00/Annual

Grade

7At Mass General Brigham, we believe in recognizing and rewarding the unique value each team member brings to our organization. Our approach to determining base pay is comprehensive, and any offer extended will take into account your skills, relevant experience if applicable, education, certifications and other essential factors. The base pay information provided offers an estimate based on the minimum job qualifications; however, it does not encompass all elements contributing to your total compensation package. In addition to competitive base pay, we offer comprehensive benefits, career advancement opportunities, differentials, premiums and bonuses as applicable and recognition programs designed to celebrate your contributions and support your professional growth. We invite you to apply, and our Talent Acquisition team will provide an overview of your potential compensation and benefits package.

EEO Statement:

2200 The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran's Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at (857)-282-7642.

Mass General Brigham Competency Framework

At Mass General Brigham, our competency framework defines what effective leadership "looks like" by specifying which behaviors are most critical for successful performance at each job level. The framework is comprised of ten competencies (half People-Focused, half Performance-Focused) and are defined by observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. These competencies are used to evaluate performance, make hiring decisions, identify development needs, mobilize employees across our system, and establish a strong talent pipeline.