Research Associate

Competition 1211

This position is a part of the Association of the Academic Staff of the University of Alberta (AASUA).

In accordance with the Trust/Research Academic Staff Agreement, this position offers a comprehensive benefits package found on our Benefits Overview page and an annual salary range of $59,822 to $82,266. This position has an approximate appointment of one year plus a day.

Location

Work primarily takes place at North Campus, Edmonton.

Working for the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry - Pediatrics Dept

The Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta is one of Canada's leading academic health centers for pediatric specialty and sub-specialty education and research. The mission of the Department includes delivering excellence in care for infants, children, youth, and families by providing comprehensive health care, advancing knowledge through innovative research, advocating for vulnerable populations, promoting quality and patient safety, and developing leaders in child health.

Position Summary

The Research Associate will primarily lead research on lipid hydrolases and their role in regulating lipid absorption, storage, and secretion. They will be involved in designing and executing experiments, managing research animal colonies, organizing and maintaining of the laboratory, and assisting with the supervision of laboratory staff including research technologists, postdoctoral fellows, undergraduate and graduate students. 

Duties

• Design and execution of experiments to meet research goals
• Data analysis and interpretation
• Day-to-day supervision of laboratory research staff working on the project
• Preparation of method SOPs and presentation/publication-quality figures/tablesParticipation in manuscript preparation and grant applications
• Ensuring the laboratory research staff follows good laboratory practices and health and safety regulations
• Laboratory maintenance (together with lab technologists) 

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. degree in physiology/biochemistry/cell biology/pharmacology or other relevant disciplines
• Minimum of 5 years of post-Ph.D. degree research experience in biomedical laboratory
• Extensive experience working with mouse models including collecting blood samples for measurements of blood glucose, lipids, ketones; retroorbital and peritoneal injections; oral gavage; preparation of primary tissue cultures (hepatocytes, enterocytes, adipocytes)
• Experience in working with AAV/adenoviral constructs in vivo and in vitro
• Experience with imaging techniques  - confocal microscopy, immunohistochemistry
• Experience with lipid analytical techniques: lipid extraction, thin-layer chromatography, preparation samples for gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography
• Experience with metabolic radioactive tracer labeling techniques (pulse-chase experiments)
• Experience with protein, DNA, RNA analyses (immunoblotting, PCR)
• Experience with cell culture and transfections with cDNA, ASOs, siRNA
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, able to work independently as well as contributing to team development

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong publication record in recognized peer-reviewed journals