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We are interested in a variety of disease states such as epilepsy and delirium, and wish to hire a Research Assistant to join our team studying the underlying neuronal signaling mechanisms. The position, located in the Research and Development Service of the Portland VA Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, starts in the next 2-4 months. We seek a candidate who is interested in engaging with this work and wants to continue their development and training in a research environment. Based on our experience, the role is suitable for a recent graduate interested in preparing to apply for training programs in neuroscience and/or medicine.  The successful candidate will have the opportunity to acquire expertise in cellular neuroscience and make meaningful contributions in this field.  Consequently we require someone who can learn and work independently in addition to supporting the workflow of our intersecting projects. We seek someone who is highly motivated, meticulous, and has the potential to develop lab skills. The goal of our laboratory is to understand neuronal signaling at the single cell and circuit level and identify and characterize which pathways are engaged in acute neurological disorders. 

EDUCATION

Formal or informal experience with at least one of the following is expected: 

- Biological sciences 

- Psychological/Neurological sciences 

This position would be suited for someone with a bachelor's or master's degree in these fields, though it is not required. Previous experience with electrophysiological, biophysical, and live cell imaging techniques would be advantageous but we expect to provide on-the-job training.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

-Ability to perform single neuron physiology experiments. 

-Analysis of data, construction of figures, and manuscript preparation. 

SECONDARY JOB DUTIES 

- Maintain lab databases and spreadsheets 

- Organize and backup records regularly 

- Prepare supplies for experiments, clean equipment, set up experimental space 

- Keep the physical lab spaces organized, efficient, and up to institutional standards 

- Tissue culture, biochemistry (protein expression, purification, and western blotting), molecular biology (gene cloning, sequencing). 

QUALIFICATIONS

Successful candidates will be able: 

To maintain a meticulous schedule and show strategy and flexibility to respond to problems as they arise to ensure experiments can operate smoothly. 

- to respect the rules and operating procedures of a lab environment 

- to strategize with others to tackle large workloads and be willing to help others with projects 

- to update several distinct groups of people on the status of projects 

- to pick up new techniques quickly and be enthusiastic about the science and discovery aspects of our research 

- to learn new software quickly and be skilled in basic computing (e.g., Excel). 

If interested please contact Stephen Smith (smisteph@ohsu.edu) with an application letter, resume, and contact information for 2-3 referees. Additional information about the lab can be found at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen-Smith or https://www.ohsu.edu/people/stephen-m-smith/4B2A280CE4A54EB2B2C67E3500964B9A