Animal Biologist Small Animal

Statement of Work Details

Studies the basic principles of animal life and the effects of varying environmental factors.

• Coordinate husbandry animal care and enrichment activities to maintain a clean safe and regulatory compliant animal research program.
• Work with staff to manage and conduct behavioral training and testing of animals for users of the Section.
• Conduct animal behavioral testing including T-maze step down conditioned place preference/aversion oral inhalation and intravenous drug self-administration forced-swim test hot-plate tail-flick von Frey locomotion elevated plus maze open-field novel object recognition ultrasonic vocalization recording and startle reflex.

Conducts research and performs experiments on the selection and breeding of animals.

• Work with staff to maintain breed genotype and phenotype transgenic animal colony; maintain records of animal colony.
• Develop and maintain a spreadsheet of animal breeding records; record lineage genotype birth death and experimental use of each animal.
• Set up animals to be available in numbers and at the time required.
• Update animal protocol through the submission of amendments and submission of new animal protocols to ensure necessary animal work for experiments.
• Provide technical expertise in breeding colony management.
• Develop and maintain a breeding database to record all animals in the breeding colony.
• Anticipate animal needs for lab research and colony maintenance; adjust the number of breeding pairs accordingly.
• Determine best type of breeding units to set up for lab needs including but not limited to continuous pairs harems and timed pregnancies.

Maintains animal colonies.

• Manage and breed animal colonies; genotype animals and report genotyping results to staff. 2
• Communicate and collaborate with investigators regarding colony and support duties.
• Handle animals for hormone injection mating timed mating and other experimental procedures.
• Handle dissect and euthanize animals. 5
• Maintain animal colony including general husbandry breeding plug checks weaning tagging animals and obtaining tail or ear snips for genotyping and euthanasia.

Performs simple surgeries on animals.

• Handle dissect and euthanize animals.
• Handle experimental animals including tail vein injections administration of anaesthesia and monitoring of animal viral signs.
• Perform skilled routine surgical procedures in support of on-going animal studies.
• Develop new surgical or animal handling techniques as needed to support projects.
• Perform complex surgical techniques necropsies blood and tissue sample collection.
• Prepare animals for surgery and ensure proper disposal of animal carcasses.

Prepares and analyzes animal tissues.

• Maintain animal lines in transgenic facilities.
• Perform experiments with primary tissues and cells in culture utilizing sterile techniques. 3 - Harvest and collect animal embryos tissues and organs.
• Perform a variety of specialized tissue fixation embedding sectioning and staining techniques.
• Manage genotyping of samples of transgenic animals.
• Perform analysis of animal tissues; prepare frozen slices and paraffin sections appropriately stained to demonstrate normal and abnormal structures.

Performs molecular biology techniques.

• Perform a variety of specialized tissue fixation embedding sectioning and staining techniques.
• Perform tissue and cell culture; use sterile technique.
• Perform tissue culture and related techniques including primary cells such as human fibroblasts; maintain IPSC lines.
• Perform standard molecular biology techniques including but not limited to cloning in situ hybridization and qPCR.
• Maintain cell lines and perform basic cell culture assays including but not limited to transfection and immunocytochemistry.

Performs immunohistochemistry on animal tissues.

• Perform light and confocal microscopy.

• Perform apoptosis assays qtr.-PCR Western blotting immunohistochemistry and molecular cloning techniques.
• Work with staff to process tissue for immunohistochemistry.
• Perform Western Blot immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence.
• Isolate and purify nucleic acid and proteins from tissue culture samples.

Analyzes experimental data.

• Update and maintain laboratory notebooks and databases; collect analyze and interpret data. 4
• Perform quantitative analysis; data analysis figure preparation and image acquisition; maintain complete and detailed records of all experiments.
• Collect organize and record experimental data for publication and future reference by others.
• Collect review research and analyze large datasets; perform experiments utilizing various statistical applications and methods; and interpret data assemble data into figures and enter data into a database.
• Maintain records of experimental results; work with staff to analyze and interpret data; prepare summaries of laboratory findings.
• Perform computer analysis and use computer software to prepare images

Edits and writes research papers and protocols.

• Prepare abstracts and present posters.

• Participate and collaborate in the preparation of scientific publications for peer reviewed journals based on the results.
• Document information on procedures modifications and methods for input into final publication and presentations of findings at meetings.
• Work with staff on the preparation of data and images for use in research presentations and publications.
• Write and edit drafts for journal submission; read manuscript drafts of other laboratory members.
• Edit and write research papers and protocols.

Selects devises plans and executes the most appropriate experiments for analysis and interpretation of data for developing strategies for pursuing significant observances and for ensuring accuracy of data.

• Work with staff on the modification of laboratory protocols and experiments based on literature findings.
• Search and review literature related to project; summarize and evaluate findings.
• Document all laboratory procedures experiments and results; maintain and update laboratory notebooks and databases.
• Develop validate perform and interpret a variety of complex experimental techniques and procedures; work with staff to develop procedures addressing new animal study needs logistics modifications to standard operating procedures and/or existing guidelines to resolve technical problems. 1
• Participate in developing and performing experiments organizing protocols and performing technical trouble-shooting.
• Locate and review the literature pertinent to projects to identify the most applicable protocols and methods; perform experiments in accordance with protocols.
• Manage oversight and progress of critical results in animal-based experiments including evaluating goal-specific phenotypes of animals; collaborate with Primary investigators and other experimental team members to determine evaluate and discuss the progress of projects.