Required Qualifications:
- BS/BA in neuroscience, psychology, biological sciences or related field or a combination of education and experience equal to 4 years.
- Strong organizational and communication skills, being detail-oriented, proactive, and able to work and contribute as part of a team.
- Must be able to work on-site 5 days per week due to essential hands-on work
- Ability to accommodate an at times flexible work schedule, including some hours in weekends or evenings, as needed
Preferred Qualifications:
- Prior experience with behavioral or systems neuroscience research
- Familiarity with python or MATLAB
- Some research experience with rats or mice
The Fraser Lab at the University of Minnesota (https://www.fraserlab.net/) will open in September 2024 and is recruiting a full-time research technician (Researcher 1, job code 8352R1) to help establish the lab. As a part of the Department of Psychology we are involved in the greater neuroscience research community at the University of Minnesota which provides excellent access to training and professional development. The Fraser Lab is interested in the neurobiological basis of motivated behavior and investigates how defined brain circuits contribute to behavioral regulation. We make use of modern neuroscience approaches to record and manipulate neural activity in real-time as rodents perform complex behavioral tasks to relate precise aspects of neural activity to well-defined psychological processes. To do so, we regularly use optogenetics, chemogenetics, calcium imaging, biosensors, electrophysiology, and immunohistochemistry. Our ultimate goal is to decipher the neural mechanisms regulating behavior and to characterize how these are altered in psychiatric illness, such as addiction, or by differences in lived experience, such as after early life adversity, to potentially identify novel therapeutics. We seek a team member who can assist in the setting up of the lab, who is able to work closely with the PI, and is enthusiastic about team-building and growth.
Job Responsibilities:
(35%) Directed research:
- Execute a research project related to the neurobiological basis of motivation under the direct supervision of the PI and/or a senior laboratory member.
- Maintain detailed records of all experiments performed in laboratory notebooks and online databases.
- Develop computational skills for analysis and visualization of data.
- Meet regularly with supervisor to discuss progress and pitfalls.
- Review relevant scientific literature and present periodically in meetings or in writing.
(35%) Technical research support
- Oversee animal husbandry, including breeding and welfare (occasionally requiring work on weekends); maintain lab breeding records.
- Prepare solutions.
- Engage in rodent behavioral training.
- Assist with stereotaxic surgeries, necroscopy, brain sectioning, immunohistochemistry, and slide preparation and imaging.
- Oversee and maintain detailed laboratory records.
(30%) Laboratory Set-up, Maintenance and Operations
- Set-up and maintain laboratory equipment to support rodent research; conduct routine quality control audits to ensure equipment is in good-working order.
- Order laboratory equipment and supplies; liaise with Psychology accounting staff to arrange for purchase; coordinate delivery and set-up, as needed.
- Assist in generating workflows for supply ordering, data management and infrastructure, and standard operating procedures for lab research.
- Prepare lab infrastructure and employees for lab safety and animal welfare inspections; conduct routine quality control audits to ensure compliance and safety.
- Onboard, train, and supervise undergraduate students in the lab. Ensure lab members adhere to university and federal safety regulations.
The Department of Psychology is one of the largest departments within the College of Liberal Arts, and is a highly ranked department nationally. Currently, the department has 46 core faculty, 70+ staff, 140 graduate students, and it supports the largest number of undergraduate majors of any academic program on the UMN Twin Cities campus. Additionally, the department has $40 million or more in active research funding at any given time (the majority from NIH), spread across 70 or more projects. In its 100 plus year history, the Department of Psychology has been marked by distinction and excellence. For additional information, please go to our website: cla.umn.edu/psychology.
About the College of Liberal Arts
Home to the arts, social sciences and humanities disciplines and programs, the College of Liberal Arts is the largest college in the University of Minnesota and comprises 31 academic departments, and over 20 interdisciplinary research centers and administrative/support units. CLA has over 1,300 faculty and staff spanning research, teaching, advising, outreach, and administrative functions. CLA units reside in over twenty buildings on the East Bank and West Bank of the Twin Cities campus. CLA enrolls nearly 13,000 undergraduate students, over 40% of the undergraduate enrollment on the Twin Cities campus, 1,400 graduate students, and has an annual all-funds budget of $290 million.
CLA is a destination for curious, compassionate individuals who are committed to making our increasingly interdependent and diverse global community work for everyone. That foundational commitment begins in our CLA Constitution. CLA is committed to increasing enrollment of underrepresented and under-resourced students, diversifying our faculty across all disciplines, recruiting, and retaining a diverse staff, and promoting the expression and exploration of diverse perspectives and viewpoints—so that we all gain the background knowledge and analytical skills we need to understand and respect differences.
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The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.
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