Associate Scientist, Biology- Discovery Full-time

Associate Scientist

The Associate Scientist will be part of a highly collaborative team working towards obtaining new swine vaccine licenses. The incumbent will work semi-independently as a member of a project team to support development and evaluation of prototype viral and/or bacterial strains and vaccine platforms. The primary role of this position is performing laboratory activities, following established procedures, and assist in development of new assays or methods. The Associate Scientist will assist in the conduct of animal trials involving swine and laboratory animals, and must have the ability to evaluate, summarize and troubleshoot study findings. The candidate will organize and execute one or more general tasks within the department.

Technical – The Associate Scientist will apply established procedures, technologies, and methodologies to complete assignments, and detect deviations, investigate causes and suggest improvements. The incumbent will support projects by performing experimental procedures to advance development, improvement, and/or transfer of new or existing products, production processes or laboratory methods upon assignment by the supervisor. The incumbent will act as study investigator/supervisor or responsible scientist to organize, conduct and report routine animal and laboratory experiments. Laboratory work will include general cell culture, virus propagation, microbiology culture, titration assays, neutralization assays, sterile technique, preparing and testing study samples, preparing vaccines, and performing or optimizing/validating new assays. The techniques applied will include but not be limited to ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay), qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction), IFA (immunofluorescent antibody assay), flow cytometry, HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography), and Western blot. The incumbent is responsible for thorough documentation of laboratory work and results and will support training of other scientists and new employees.

Inter-departmental – The Associate Scientist will fulfill general tasks within the organization related to safety, compliance, and laboratory maintenance, and will interact closely with fellow scientists within their own and other departments.

Education Minimum Requirement:

B.S./B.A. degree in Biology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Immunology, Animal Science or a related field

Required Experience and Skills:

• Ability to conduct research project activities under supervision
• Ability to plan project activities and meet timelines
• Must have general experience with laboratory techniques
• Must have good verbal and written communication skills
• Must have good computer skills including knowledge of Word and Excel

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Bacterial culture and titration assays highly preferred
• Mammalian cell culture techniques
• Viral culture, titration and infectivity assays
• Antigen Potency ELISA, serology and neutralizing antibody assays
• Experience working with large animals in vaccine development research or related field highly preferred
• Familiarity with USDA product licensure requirements

Required Skills:

Accountability, Animal Science, Assay, Assay Development, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Blotting Techniques, Cell Biology, Cell Cultures, Cell Culture Techniques, Communication, Cytometry, Data Analysis, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Flow Cytometry, Immunochemistry, Laboratory Techniques, Mammalian Cell Culture, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Pipetting, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Project Planning, Project Reviews {+ 4 more}

Preferred Skills: