<p>Job Description</p> <p>The Research Technician is part of the Lau Lab in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University. This position provides key technical support for the lab's experimental research in gastrointestinal biology and tissue modeling. The primary role is to contribute to both in vivo and in vitro workflows while supporting broader lab goals and priorities. This includes performing molecular biology techniques, staining, microscopy, and in vivo mouse experiments and management. The Research Technician will also receive training in advanced techniques including spatial transcriptomics, organoid culture, and microfabrication for gut-on-a-chip systems.</p> <p>Day-to-day responsibilities include molecular biology (e.g., PCR), mouse colony management, tissue dissection, and supporting hybridization chain reaction fluorescence in situ hybridization (HCR-FISH). The Research Technician plays a crucial role in maintaining lab operations, working closely with multiple lab members, alternating between projects as needed based on priorities and personnel availability.</p> <p>For experimental tasks, the Research Technician will support molecular biology research focused on single-cell and spatial biology. They will also be responsible for mouse experiments/colony management and other molecular assays, specifically staining and microscopy.</p> <p>Duties and Responsibilities</p> <ul> <li>Molecular biology - DNA extraction and PCR-based Genotyping </li><li>Gastrointestinal organoid culture and monolayer workflows (Training in) </li><li>Mold creation and microfabrication support (Training in) </li><li>Mouse colony management </li><li>Mouse handling, genotyping, treatments, ear tagging, tailing </li><li>HCR-FISH & IF - antibody staining </li><li>Microscope operation and image acquisition (Training in) </li><li>Spatial Transcriptomics (Training in) </li><li>Cut and process tissue slides for histological and imaging studies </li><li>Mouse dissection and tissue collection </li><li>Limited human tissue handling (Paraffinized) </li><li>Limited training of lab personnel </li></ul> <p>Supervisory Relationships:</p> <p>This position does not have supervisory responsibility, this position reports administratively and functionally to the PI, Ken Lau.</p> <p>Qualifications</p> <ul> <li>Bachelors in a biology field is strongly preferred. </li><li>Molecular biology skill is strongly preferred. </li><li>Mouse experience is strongly preferred. </li><li>5 years of lab experience is strongly preferred </li></ul>