Research Assistant II

** Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center**:  Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated.

It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.
** Organization:
** PMI Molecular Pathogenesis
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* Job Summary:

** A laboratory in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology seeks qualified applicants for a Research Assistant II (RAII) role. The ideal candidate will function as a laboratory resource and make essential contributions by culturing cells (both eukaryotic & prokaryotic), performing molecular biology (e.g. transformations, DNA preparation, PCR, sequence analysis, etc.), expressing and purifying proteins, characterizing antibodies (e.g. ELISA), conducting LIBRA-seq (linking B cell receptor to antigen specificity through sequencing) assays, preparing common reagents, performing routine maintenance of lab equipment, inventorying reagents and supplies and carrying out other duties as necessitated.

The successful candidate will under moderate supervision, set up, conduct experiments, and contribute to research projects following protocols including the appropriate recording of data and reporting of standard or variant results. The RAII will also assist in other laboratory and research functions. Exceptional organizational skills, verbal communication, written communication, attention to detail, and ability to function as part of a dynamic research team are required.

Previous experience with protein purification, ELISA, and working with viruses is preferred.

REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s (or equivalent experience)  
• 2 years of relevant experience    The laboratory is located on the 11th floor of VUMC Medical Research Building IV within the Vanderbilt Center for Antibody Therapeutics on Garland Ave. in Nashville, TN. Work hours are predominantly during daytime business hours Monday – Friday, but flexibility is key.”.
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* DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

** The Vanderbilt Center for Antibody Therapeutics (VCAT) is recognized as one of the leading centers in the world with broad expertise in basic and clinical discovery related to understanding and optimizing disease prevention through antibody discovery. At the
* interface of immunology and
* * virology*, recent computational advances have allowed us to better understand the interactions between antibodies and antigen, to design immunogens capable of eliciting target antibody specificities, and to optimize antibodies as clinical products. Research efforts in the Georgiev laboratory aim to utilize the
* power of computation
* to increase our understanding of
* fundamental questions
* in immunology and virology and to develop novel ways of using this understanding to fight diseases. For the
* translational component
* of our research, we apply structure-based protein design approaches to the development of new vaccine and antibody product candidates against a number of viruses of biomedical interest.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES •
• Under moderate supervision, conduct and evaluate experiments and assays  
• Understand and follow experimental protocols (may include animal handling, tissue culture, etc.)  
• Record, compile, interpret, and communicate data/results  
• Follow University safety protocols (may include use of combustibles, radioactivity, toxic material, and/or carcinogens)  
• Perform calculations involving molarity, % solutions, and serial dilutions  
• Prepare, operate, and troubleshoot equipment in experimental procedures  
• Read and follow all equipment manuals  
• Maintain and repair equipment…