Duties and Responsibilities:
The University of Washington Neisseria Reference Laboratory has been conducting laboratory-based surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and molecular testing for detection of sexually transmitted pathogens for over three decades. Our laboratory is well equipped to perform a wide range of antimicrobial susceptibility testing, molecular characterization of resistance determinants, strain subtyping, rapid molecular STI diagnostics, and exploration of oropharyngeal reservoirs of gonococcal antimicrobial resistance.
Student Laboratory Assistant will:
- Support research activities and perform experiments under the guidance of the Principal Investigator, Research Scientists, and Doctoral Research Students
- Support bacterial culture and species confirmatory tests for commensal and clinical Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria
- Support purification of high molecular weight genomic DNA, PCR and sequencing of PCR products for strain subtyping and characterization of antibiotic resistance determinants
- Perform general laboratory maintenance including washing and autoclaving glassware, receiving and sending packages, and specimen pick-up.
- Provide support for laboratory’s chemical inventory, and monitoring supply inventories, preparing reagents, chemical solutions, and media according to established procedures for culture and other tests
- Prepare and aliquot culture media and reagents
- Comply with biohazardous disposal and general lab safety procedures
- Perform work accurately and precisely
- Maintain and complete accurate, legible laboratory records
- Data processing and analysis using excel
- Participate in lab meetings
- Perform other related duties and technical support as required
Minimum Qualifications:
- UW Junior or Senior year students
- More than one year of undergraduate education with major in Microbiology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Medical Laboratory Science, Chemical, Physical, or Biological Science
- Previous undergraduate research experience including bacterial culture, tissue culture, aseptic procedures, microscopy, molecular testing, PCR, gel electrophoresis, among others
- Must be responsible, dependable, a quick learner, like to work as a team, pays excellent attention to detail,
and not afraid to ask questions. Detailed verbal and written communication with supervisors are critical.
Desired Requirements:
- Prior experience in a microbiology, cellular, molecular, and/or virology laboratory
- Excellent microbiology and molecular biology laboratory skills and research experience
- Research experience with real-time PCR and traditional PCR techniques
- Depth of expertise in Gram-stain, microscopy, qPCR and nucleic acid amplification testing, and cell culture
- Experience with PCR testing methods and sequencing technologies
- Good laboratory practice (GLP) skills
- Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
- High degree of organization and meticulousness
- Ability to work well with other laboratory staff
Conditions of Employment:
- Willing to work at the Ninth and Jefferson Building of the Harborview Medical Center in Downtown, Seattle
- May work weekends and holidays
- Will work with biohazards, including blood and other body fluids
- May have indirect exposure to patients and subjects
- May be required to stand for periods of an hour at a time
- Projects may require repetitive pipetting
- Student employees are limited to working 19.5 hours per week when classes are in session
- Student employees may work more than 19.5 hours per week during school breaks or when “on leave”
Educational and Undergraduate Research Benefits:
Student lab assistants gain valuable laboratory skills that they otherwise may not have learned through course work. They will gain independent research experience on diagnostics and antimicrobial resistance of sexually transmitted pathogens
Please note that our laboratory is located at the Ninth and Jefferson Building of the Harborview Medical Center in Downtown, Seattle. The UW Health Sciences Express is a short ride from the UW Medical Center, D-Wing, UW Tower, or Roosevelt Clinic to Harborview Medical Center. Buses leave from campus every 15 minutes and take about 20 minutes in travel time.
