Research Associate

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.

One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.

The UNC School of Medicine has a rich tradition of excellence and care. Our mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of North Carolinians, and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research. We strive to promote faculty, staff, and learner development in a diverse, respectful environment where our colleagues demonstrate professionalism, enhance learning, and create personal and professional sustainability. We optimize our partnership with the UNC Health System through close collaboration and commitment to service.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to be the nation's leading public school of medicine. We are ranked 2nd in primary care education among all US schools of medicine and 5th among public peers in NIH research funding. Our Allied Health Department is home to five top-ranked divisions, and we are home to 18 top-ranked clinical and basic science departments in NIH research funding.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research.
Patient Care: We will promote health and provide superb clinical care while maintaining our strong tradition of reaching underserved populations and reducing health disparities across North Carolina and beyond.
Education: We will prepare tomorrow's health care professionals and biomedical researchers by facilitating learning within innovative curricula and team-oriented interprofessional education. We will cultivate outstanding teaching and research faculty, and we will recruit outstanding students and trainees from highly diverse backgrounds to create a socially responsible, highly skilled workforce.
Research: We will develop and support a rich array of outstanding health sciences research programs, centers, and resources. We will provide infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration among disciplines throughout and beyond our University to support outstanding research. We will foster programs in the areas of basic, translational, mechanistic, and population research.

The work associated with this Research Associate position requires cellular and molecular approaches to generate data that provides critical insights for understanding therapeutic performance and correlates the cellular and molecular findings with clinical outcomes. Responsibilities are to:
1) Analyze human tumors, the tumor immune microenvironment, and the innate and adaptive immune cells within the tissues and the circulation; analyze the genetic diversity of T cell receptor and B cell receptor repertoires; and to profile gene and protein expression of the tumor and tumor microenvironment using multimodal genomics and proteomics technologies with the goal of discovery of actionable tumor antigens and mechanisms of resistance to antigen-directed immunotherapy.
2) Develop and validate cellular and molecular protocols with clinical investigators to support clinical trial correlative studies.
3) Prepare and guide correlative study budgets for grant proposals and project management following awards for best uses of the resources for correlative studies.
4) Co-ordinate efficient clinical trial biospecimen tracking from collection through cellular and genomic sequencing protocols to electronic database, analyses, and manuscript and grant publications.
5) Maintain clinical biospecimen databases with auditable record-keeping required for Good Clinical Laboratory Practice and compliance with FDA and NIH regulation and pharmaceutical industry standards.

Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required (or foreign degree equivalent); for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity, will accept a relevant Bachelor's degree (or foreign degree equivalent) and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. May require terminal degree and licensure.

Candidate for this position must have demonstrated experience using:
1) Multiparametric flow cytometry and Time of Flight mass spectrometry to stain, acquisition, and analyze data with FlowJo and Cytobank software programs.
2) Aseptic techniques and cellular processing to isolate and enrich immune cells from human tissues and fluids including enrichment and selection of myeloid and lymphoid subpopulations with Miltenyi Tyto subpopulation cell sorting.
3) Preparation of bulk and single-cell next generation sequencing libraries following DNA/ RNA extraction and quantification with Agilent Tapestation and synthesis of cDNA from RNA for sequencing and downstream analyses.
4) Excellence in scientific communication including manuscript preparation and submission.

The candidate for this position is preferred to have demonstrated experience:
1) Single Cell Dissociation of fresh or cryopreserved clinical trial correlative tissues including tumor, lymph node, pleural fluid, peripheral blood, and bone marrow.
2) Multicolor/isotope cytometry panel design that includes detection of surface proteins, intracellular cytokines, and transcription factors.
3) Operating, fluidic maintenance, troubleshooting, and user training on BD Symphony A3, BD Fortessa, Miltenyi MACSQuant16, and the Miltenyi Tyto cell sorter and Cytek Aurora.
4) Experience with clinical laboratory protocols and compliance (certification) with Good Clinical Laboratory Practice standards and management of clinical databases.
5) Preparation for BD Rhapsody, 10X Genomics, Illumina, and Takara sequencing libraries for submission to the UNC High Throughput Sequencing Facility.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.