Sr. Research Associate 1

200 UM Corp (Enterprise); United States; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Miami/UHealth Department of SCCC seeks a Full-Time Sr. Research Associate 1 to support a neuroscience laboratory at the UHealth campus in Miami, FL.

The role emphasizes executing complex experiments, data analysis, and mentoring department staff, students, and junior researchers. You will collect and present data, maintain research databases, interpret protocols, contribute to manuscripts, manage equipment and safety, and assist in grant documentation.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Learning agility to adapt to new procedures and priorities.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Collect, analyze, and present research data.
• Monitor and maintain relevant research databases for accurate entries.
• Understand and interpret research protocols and procedures.
• Participate in publication of significant results and authorship.
• Advance expertise through continued education, training, and research.
• Maintain current knowledge of developments in the field.
• Ensure research is conducted per good research practice and guidelines.
• Comply with University policies and safeguard assets.

Skills

Learning agility

Teamwork

Technical proficiency

Communication

Education

Master’s degree

Tools

PyMOL

GraphPad

CellProfiler

ImageJ

SnapGene

Job description

The University of Miami/UHealth Department of SCCC has an exciting opportunity for a Full-Time Sr. Research Associate 1 (Petrucelli's Lab) to work at the UHealth campus in Miami, Fl.

CORE JOB SUMMARY

The Sr. Research Associate 1, SOM provides laboratory-based support for the University’s research activities by tackling the more specialized and complex projects and experiments. Additionally, the incumbent leverages expertise in training and mentoring department staff, students, and less experienced research associates.

CORE JOB FUNCTIONS

1. Collects, analyzes, and presents research data.
2. Monitors and maintains relevant research databases to ensure accurate data entries.
3. Understands and interprets research protocols and procedures.
4. Participates in the publication of significant results to include authorship of scientific monographs.
5. Advances expertise through continued education, training, and research.
6. Maintains current knowledge of relevant developments in the field.
7. Ensures all research is undertaken according to good research practice.
8. Warrants that department activities comply with applicable guidelines and regulations.
9. Adheres to University and unit-level policies and procedures and safeguards University assets.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities as necessary.

CORE QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Master’s degree in relevant field required
• Experience: No previous experience required
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
  • Learning Agility: Ability to learn new procedures, technologies, and protocols, and adapt to changing priorities and work demands.
  • Teamwork: Ability to work collaboratively with others and contribute to a team environment.
  • Technical Proficiency: Skilled in using office software, technology, and relevant computer applications.
  • Communication: Strong and clear written and verbal communication skills for interacting with colleagues and stakeholders.

Department Specific Functions

The Sr. Research Associate 1 will support a neuroscience laboratory conducting research on molecular mechanisms of disease, genetic regulation, and cell‑based functional assays. The role emphasizes execution of experiments, data analysis, and contributions to collaborative research environments.

Experimental Work & Laboratory Techniques

• Perform specialized experiments involving Western Blot, immunofluorescence, CRISPR‑Cas9–based gene editing, and bacterial transformation workflows as required by project objectives.
• Culture and maintain mammalian cell lines, perform transient transfections, and assist in the development of stable cell lines for functional studies.
• Support in vitro modeling studies investigating protein localization, mutation impact, molecular interactions, or genetic pathways relevant to laboratory research aims.
• Operate and maintain laboratory equipment, ensuring accurate measurements, reproducibility, and adherence to standardized protocols.

Data Analysis, Documentation & Research Support

• Collect, organize, analyze, and interpret experimental results using scientific software such as PyMOL, GraphPad, CellProfiler, ImageJ, SnapGene, or similar analysis tools.
• Maintain detailed and accurate laboratory records to support research reproducibility, quality assurance, and progression toward publication.
• Assist with drafting figures, descriptions of methods, and data summaries for manuscripts, presentations, and internal reports.
• Participate in grant‑related data preparation or project documentation, as appropriate to the team’s research needs.

Laboratory Operations & Team Collaboration

• Support laboratory operations through inventory management, reagent preparation, equipment monitoring, and general organizational tasks.
• Adhere to laboratory safety, biohazard handling, and regulatory compliance standards.
• Participate in lab meetings, training sessions, and collaborative activities to advance team‑based research.
• Provide guidance to students or junior members on basic laboratory methods, contributing to a supportive and high‑performance environment.

Department Specific Qualifications

• Education: Master’s Degree in relevant field
• Certification and Licensing: Not Applicable
• Experience: No previous experience required
• Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes:
  • Skill in collecting, organizing, and analyzing data.
  • Ability to recognize, analyze, and solve a variety of problems.
  • Ability to exercise sound judgment in making critical decisions.

The University of Miami offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, tuition remission and more.

UHealth-University of Miami Health System, South Florida's only university-based health system, provides leading-edge patient care powered by the ground breaking research and medical education at the Miller School of Medicine. As an academic medical center, we are proud to serve South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. Our physicians represent more than 100 specialties and sub-specialties, and have more than one million patient encounters each year. Our tradition of excellence has earned worldwide recognition for outstanding teaching, research and patient care. We're the challenge you've been looking for.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.

Job Status: Full time Employee Type: Staff

The mission of the University of Miami is to transform lives through education, research, innovation, and service. A vibrant and diverse academic and healthcare community, the University of Miami and the University of Miami Health System ("UHealth") have rapidly progressed to become one of the nation’s top research universities and academic medical centers in the nation. The University comprises 12 schools and colleges serving undergraduate and graduate students in more than 350 majors and programs. Visit welcome.miami.edu/about-um to learn more about our points of pride. The University ranks No. 55 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges list and ranked No. 49 in the 2022 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is ranked the #1 eye hospital in the USA and offers some of the nation's premiere eye doctors to treat every eye condition for adults. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer, part of the Miller School of Medicine, received the prestigious National Cancer Institute designation in 2019. The University of Miami and UHealth have also ranked among the Forbes Best Employers and Best Employers for Women on several occasions, most recently in 2022. With more than 17,000 faculty and staff, the University strives for excellence, and is driven by a powerful mission to transform and impact the lives of its students, patients, members of the community, and people across the globe. The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.