Senior Research Assistant, Pharmacology and Physiology

George Washington University

United States, D.C., Washington

Sep 29, 2025

I. DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

Job Description Summary:	Founded in 1824, the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences ( SMHS) is the 11th oldest medical school in the country and the first in the nation's capital. Since its establishment, the school has been at the forefront of medical education, and has grown to include highly-ranked programs in the health and biomedical sciences. With dozens of top-tier residency programs, SMHS is a competitive and esteemed destination for medical school graduates across the country. Find out more here: http://smhs.gwu.edu/ The research in the Mendelowitz lab is focused on the parasympathetic control of the heart, how cardioprotective parasympathetic activity becomes diminished in many diseases with the goal of identifying targets to restore cardiac vagal activity and alleviate the risks and incidence of cardiovascular diseases. To test our hypotheses we use a variety of approaches including patch clamp electrophysiology, viral transfection of optogenetic tools, confocal imaging and in-vivo telemetry recordings. This Senior Research Assistant position carries out research/development activities by designing and conducting experiments in a controlled laboratory setting, under general guidance from the Principal Investigator. Using a certain degree of creativity and latitude. Duties include: Making detailed observations, analyzing data, and interpreting results. Compiles results and prepares technical reports and documentation of outcomes. Maintaining familiarity with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Animal surgeries and husbandry to create and sustain animals that model heart failure, implanting telemetry devices to record cardiovascular parameters, patch clamp electrophysiological methods to record the synaptic activity in cardiac vagal neurons in both sham animals and disease animals. Maintaining and using engineered CHO cells that serve as biosensor "sniffer" cells that can quantify, with great sensitivity, the presence of oxytocin using calcium sensitive indicators with confocal imaging. Performs other related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position.
Minimum Qualifications:	Qualified candidates will hold a BA/BS and 1 year of experience in a related discipline. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position.
Additional Required Licenses/Certifications/Posting Specific Minimum Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
Hiring Range	$18.06 - $33.02
GW Staff Approach to Pay	How is pay for new employees determined at GW?

Healthcare Benefits

GW offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes medical, dental, vision, life & disability insurance, time off & leave, retirement savings, tuition, well-being and various voluntary benefits. For program details and eligibility, please visit https://hr.gwu.edu/benefits-programs.

II. POSITION INFORMATION

Campus Location:	Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C.
College/School/Department:	School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS)
Family	Research and Labs
Sub-Family	Laboratory Research
Stream	Service and Support
Level	Level 3
Full-Time/Part-Time:	Full-Time
Hours Per Week:	40
Work Schedule:	Monday - Friday, 8:30AM - 5:30PM
Will this job require the employee to work on site?	Yes
Employee Onsite Status	Hybrid
Telework:	Yes
Required Background Check	Criminal History Screening, Education/Degree/Certifications Verification, Social Security Number Trace, and Sex Offender Registry Search
Special Instructions to Applicants:	Employer will not sponsor for employment Visa status
Internal Applicants Only?	No
Posting Number:	R002329
Job Open Date:	09/29/2025
Job Close Date:
Background Screening	Successful Completion of a Background Screening will be required as a condition of hire.
EEO Statement:	The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.