Research Technician II

Company : Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Overview:

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is an independent, nonprofit organization providing adult cancer treatment and groundbreaking research focused on cancer and infectious diseases. Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington.

With a track record of global leadership in bone marrow transplantation, HIV/AIDS prevention, immunotherapy and COVID-19 vaccines, Fred Hutch has earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading cancer, infectious disease and biomedical research centers. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services, and network affiliations with hospitals in five states. Together, our fully integrated research and clinical care teams seek to discover new cures to the world’s deadliest diseases and make life beyond cancer a reality.

At Fred Hutch we value collaboration, compassion, determination, excellence, innovation, integrity and respect. Our mission is directly tied to the humanity, dignity and inherent value of each employee, patient, community member and supporter. Our commitment to learning across our differences and similarities make us stronger. We seek employees who bring different and innovative ways of seeing the world and solving problems.

This research opportunity is with the Lund laboratory, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division. 

Our lab is recruiting a Research Technician II to contribute to multiple projects focused on understanding the immune response to viral infection and vaccination. We use mouse models and human tissue samples to study immunoregulation in context of virus infections that impact mucosal tissue sites, and particularly the genital tract mucosa. The research technician will primarily be focused on processing samples for flow cytometry analysis from a cohort of women with and without HIV infection in Mombasa, Kenya, to comprehensively evaluate immune activation and dysfunction in the mucosa. In addition, they will learn and execute additional flow-based assays. They will be responsible for contributing to the experimental workflow in other projects in the lab, including mouse studies in development of an HSV vaccine, and understanding the role of progesterone in immune suppression during the menstrual cycle. They will perform experiments, interpret and report on experimental results, and assist with data presentation. They will perform other duties necessary for maintenance of a small research lab (genotyping, general lab maintenance, preparing lab reagents, etc). They will report to a staff scientist and work closely with a technical team.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain a high level of accuracy for all work.
• Work well as team-member, participate in positive communication, and foster an environment that allows all laboratory staff to work well together.
• Independently perform flow cytometry, viral titer assays, and other experimental assays.
• Work with mouse models of infection and vaccination.
• Maintain accountability for performing tasks and communicating results to the rest of the team.
• Proactively prepare reagents for experiments and for general lab use.
• Troubleshoot and optimize experimental methods, results and analysis.
• Maintain accurate documentation for experiments and quality control for the laboratory.
• Be willing to work both independently and as part of a team processing clinical samples
• Perform data analysis.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in related scientific field or equivalent combination of education and experience
• 2 years of experience working in a lab outside of school coursework

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Independent research experience outside of laboratory course work.
• Willing to work with biohazardous/infectious agents (e.g., bloodborne pathogens, including HIV-1).
• Flexible and willing to work some evenings and weekends as needed.
• Specific experience with flow cytometry, immunology, and cellular assays are preferred.
• Specific experience working with mouse models preferred.
• Motivation, adaptability and ability to be a strong team player are essential, as is a keen interest in the vaccine and infectious disease field.  
• The candidate must be someone with great attention to details, well-organized, self-motivated, and able to efficiently manage time and experiments. 
• The candidate must hold high intrinsic value for the importance of scientific research conducted with integrity, with respect for all the participants involved. 

A cover letter is encouraged when applying to this role.  

The hourly pay range for this position is from $27.01 to $38.45 and pay offered will be based on experience and qualifications.

This position is not eligible for H-1B sponsorship at this time.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center offers employees a comprehensive benefits package designed to enhance health, well-being, and financial security. Benefits include medical/vision, dental, flexible spending accounts, life, disability, retirement, family life support, employee assistance program, onsite health clinic, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation (12-22 days per year), paid sick leave (12-25 days per year), paid holidays (13 days per year), and paid parental leave (up to 4 weeks).

Additional Information:
We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, age, disability (physical or mental), marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, political ideology, or membership in any other legally protected class. We desire priority referrals of protected veterans. If due to a disability you need assistance/and or a reasonable accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to Human Resources at (url removed) or by calling (phone number removed).

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