RESEARCH ASSISTANT II

　　MISSION STATEMENT

　　The mission of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is to eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation, and the world through outstanding programs that integrate patient care, research and prevention, and through education for undergraduate and graduate students, trainees, professionals, employees and the public.

　　SUMMARY

　　The primary purpose of the Research Assistant II position is to apply technical expertise and experience to coordinate, design, and carry out cancer research projects while following standard operating procedures for the laboratory.

　　The Gu lab is interested in enhancing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy by modulating cell-cell interactions. To achieve this goal, we integrate various cutting-edge experimental and computational approaches in the areas of functional genomics, single cell/spatial mutli-omics, data mining, machine learning, and mathematical modeling, among others. Current research directions of the lab include context-dependent regulation of cancer antigen presentation and novel mechanisms of cell-cell interaction. We have excellent track record in highly collaborative and interdisciplinary research in cancer biology, immunology, and computational biology, with major papers as follows:

　　Leukemia biology: (Gu, Chan, Mohi et al., Blood, 2016; Gu et al., Leukemia, 2018)

　　Cancer immunology: (Jiang, Gu, Pan et al., Nature Medicine, 2018; Gu, Wang, Hu et al., Genome Biology, 2020; Shi, Gu et al., Clinical Cancer Research, 2020; Gu, Zhang, Wang, Jiang et al., Cancer Discovery, 2021; Wang, Tokheim, Gu, Wang et al., Cell, 2021; Zeng, Gu et al., Cancer Immunology Research, 2022)

　　Computational biology: (Gu et al., PNAS, 2021; Zeng, Gu et al., Science Advances, 2022).

　　JOB SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES

　　Administrative:

　　Personnel: Provide and develop training; provide and receive feedback; ensure cultural continuity. Operational: Maintain and improve operational service; equipment service orders; safety compliance; facilities service requisitions; ensures lab compliance with MDACC and accredited agency mandatory regulations/trainings.

　　Research:

　　Plans and participates in scientific research projects with experiments to characterize the effects of candidate regulators of antigen presentation on cancer immune response. Specific attention is given to understanding cellular mechanisms, such as epigenetic gene expression regulation, and how these mechanisms can be controlled and/or influenced to achieve anti-tumor activity. Design and develop experiments or research to answer scientific questions of interest. Prioritize and manage multiple experiments in a timely and resource-effective manner. Utilize common research instruments and equipment competently and capably. Report research findings (oral and written) at internal and local meetings. Prepare and submit research related abstracts and manuscripts for presentation and peer-reviewed publication.

　　Equipment, Supply Management & Laboratory Safety:

　　Manage inventory of biologics and replenish them as needed. Coordinate and share responsibilities of laboratory maintenance and operation issues with co-workers. Assist PI to ensure correct practice of laboratory safety as required under institutional guidelines, including but not limited to maintenance of safety manuals and performance of laboratory testing of equipment. Maintains knowledge of all safety requirements. Other duties as assigned.

　　Education Required: Bachelor's degree with major course works in one of the basic sciences.

　　Education Preferred: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Biology, Immunology or Computer Science.

　　Experience Required: One year experience in scientific or experimental research work. No experience required with preferred degree.

　　Experience Preferred: Candidates with lab experience in immunology or computational biology.

　　It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/legal-and-policy/legal-statements/eeo-affirmative-action.html

　　Additional Information

　　Requisition ID: 164695

　　Employment Status: Full-Time

　　Employee Status: Regular

　　Work Week: Day/Evening, Days, Evenings

　　Minimum Salary: US Dollar (USD) 43,500

　　Midpoint Salary: US Dollar (USD) 54,500

　　Maximum Salary : US Dollar (USD) 65,500

　　FLSA: exempt and not eligible for overtime pay

　　Fund Type: Soft

　　Work Location: Onsite

　　Pivotal Position: Yes

　　Referral Bonus Available?: No

　　Relocation Assistance Available?: Yes

　　Science Jobs: Yes

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