Job Description

Job Summary
The Department of Cardiac Surgery is seeking a highly motivated and technically skilled Research Laboratory Specialist (Animal Model Generation Technician) to support cardiovascular and regenerative medicine research in a collaborative, multidisciplinary research environment. The successful candidate will have strong hands-on expertise in the generation, breeding, and characterization of laboratory animal models, with particular emphasis on genetically modified mouse models and cardiovascular disease models.

This position will play a critical role in strengthening our laboratory's in vivo research capacity and supporting collaborative projects across multiple investigators. The technician will work closely with the principal investigator and collaborating laboratories to develop and maintain robust animal models, execute in vivo experiments, and generate high-quality, reproducible data.

Position highlights include:

Lead technical expertise in animal model generation and optimization.
Support both independent laboratory projects and collaborative multi-investigator studies.
Work on innovative models of cardiovascular disease and tissue repair.
Develop technically challenging genetically modified mouse models.
Opportunity to contribute to publications, presentations, and externally funded research.
Collaborate with investigators across cardiovascular science, regenerative medicine, and biomedical engineering.
Responsibilities*
Generate, breed, maintain, and characterize genetically modified mouse models for cardiovascular research.
Coordinate and perform animal experiments, including genotyping, colony management, tissue collection, and phenotypic characterization.
Establish and optimize animal models of cardiovascular disease, including models relevant to aneurysm, ischemia, vascular disease, cardiac injury, and tissue repair.
Develop and troubleshoot strategies for generating complex or technically challenging animal models, including conditional and tissue-specific knockout models.
Support the generation and characterization of ACSS2 knockout aneurysm models and other genetically modified models as needed.
Perform and assist with in vivo procedures and physiological/phenotypic assessments in accordance with approved animal protocols.
Collect, process, and preserve tissues and biological samples for histology, molecular biology, imaging, transcriptomic, and other downstream analyses.
Maintain accurate and comprehensive records of animal colonies, experimental procedures, genotypes, and experimental outcomes.
Collaborate closely with multiple investigators and research teams to coordinate animal studies and meet project milestones.
Assist with the development and optimization of new animal-model approaches and experimental protocols.
Contribute to data analysis, interpretation, presentations, manuscripts, and grant applications as appropriate.
Ensure compliance with institutional, IACUC, and applicable regulatory requirements for animal research.
Perform other department and miscellaneous duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications*
Bachelor's degree in biology, biomedical sciences, animal science, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Substantial hands-on experience with laboratory animal research, particularly mouse models.

Demonstrated expertise in animal model generation and colony management.

Strong experience with mouse genotyping, breeding strategies, tissue collection, and experimental planning.

Ability to independently perform technically demanding animal procedures and troubleshoot experimental challenges.

Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with multiple investigators and research teams.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.