Research Specialist RESEARCH NEUROLOGY HV

massgeneralbrigham; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Mass General Brigham invites applications for a Research Specialist in the Venkatesh Lab, focusing on cancer neuroscience. The role involves performing high-level experiments, analyzing data, and contributing to scientific publications and grant proposals.

You will handle mouse work (PDX models and in vivo procedures), perform mammalian cell culture, IHC/IF staining, imaging, and data interpretation, while mentoring new lab members and ensuring compliance with animal welfare and research

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related field is required.
• 3-5 years of experience in academic or laboratory research.
• Ability to design, execute, and interpret experiments.
• Strong data handling and scientific writing skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate to generate high-quality data for publications and grants.
• Perform mammalian cell culture, transfection, and differentiation.
• Independently execute experiments and analyze data of moderate complexity.
• Conduct IHC/IF staining, tissue mounting, and imaging (confocal).
• Mentor new lab members and help ensure compliant study design.

Skills

Problem solving

Organizational skills

Strong communication

Attention to detail

Deadline pressure management

Education

Master's Degree Related Field

Tools

Confocal microscopy

Genotyping

Mammalian cell culture

IHC/IF staining

Data analysis software

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)

Preferred:

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, resear