Biologist (Mice/Malaria)

Position Objective: Provide services as a Biologist (Mice/Malaria) in support of the overall functions of the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage the execution of in vivo rodent research within the Malaria Insectary Facility.
• Perform a variety of procedures and techniques including (but not limited to) Plasmodium sporozoite dissection, in vitro functional assays, molecular cloning, PCR, cell culture, recombinant protein production, and multi-parameter flow cytometry.
• Expand and maintain mosquito cultures according to established protocols.
• Monitor the infection status of mosquitoes: blood feeding, natural transmission, and parasite isolations.
• Maintain malaria infected mosquito colonies and conduct in vivo malaria challenge experiments in rodents.
• Conduct pre-clinical evaluation (PK and PD experiments) for malaria vaccines and monoclonal antibodies in animal models.
• Develop methods to evaluate the protective effect of vaccines and mAbs in malaria in vivo models (via bioluminescence, immune- and clinical pathology analysis.
• Design rodent malaria layouts/challenges to establish new protocols, procedures, doses and risks for malaria experiments with the objective of providing data sets that support safe human testing.
• Proficiently perform common and specialized in vivo technical procedures necessary to maintain the progress of in vivo malaria experiments.
• Plan, execute, and arrange relevant experiments, techniques and procedures within appropriate quality standards and timelines.
• Regularly participate in meetings that are conducted to define vaccine development, antibodies, and manuscript publications on the area of malaria.
• Meticulously collect, analyze, interpret, and report data for presentations, reports, and publications from diverse malaria experiments.
• Record all procedures and research project data, data analyses, and analytical conclusions of analyses in government-authorized notebooks and electronic systems in accordance with applicable regulations and procedures.
• Monitor and maintain inventory of routine laboratory supplies to ensure maximum efficiency; make recommendations and prepare purchase requests as needed.
• Perform routine maintenance of the lab work area and specialized instruments and equipment.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Minimum of four (4) years of related work experience.
• Requires extensive experience with relevant laboratory practices, materials, and practice.
• Must have hands on proficiency with common in vivo technical procedures in mice (compound administration, sample collection, imaging, surgery).
• Must have basic skills in applicable computer programs.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Preferred experience in the following techniques is highly desirable: preclinical malaria mouse challenge models, mosquito salivary gland/midgut dissection, IVIS in vivo imaging, multi- parameter flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, antibody/protein purification and characterization, ELISA, ELISPOT.
• Must strictly adhere to safety standards and lab policies and maintain compliance with necessary training.
• Must be able to work well both independently and with others on a team.
• Must be able to maintain high level of organization, accuracy and attention to detail.
• Must be able to make detailed observations, analyze data, and interpret results independently.
• Must be able to apply creative problem-solving skills and sound judgment in making timely decisions.
• Requires flexibility to handle multiple tasks and provide support for multiple projects in a fast- paced laboratory environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with non-technical and technical staff.
• Detail-oriented and possess strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and projects