The department of Biology is a large, unified department with strong undergraduate degrees, nationally-ranked graduate programs, and world-class research spanning the breadth of biological questions and experimental systems from ecosystems to microbiology and developmental biology, from evolution to cell biology, from molecular biology to systems biology, bioinformatics, and genomics. It is always an exciting time for Biology enormous advances in global genome analysis coupled with unprecedented developments in interdisciplinary research have made the 21st century the Century of Biology. For more information about the department, you can find it here: About: Department of Biology: Indiana University Bloomington.
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Job Summary
The Pikaard lab at Indiana University Bloomington is seeking a part time Laboratory Technician to assist in the production of plant cells grown in tissue culture. Duties will include routine preparation of plant tissue culture growth media, maintenance and expansion of plant tissue cultures, and harvesting the cultured cells.
Department Specific Responsibilities
Prepares and sterilizes plant tissue culture media
Maintains sterile plant tissue cultures free of bacterial and fungal contamination
Harvests plant tissues
Maintains detailed and organized records of tissue culture experiments.
Manages inventory of tissue culture-related lab supplies.
Supports the research efforts of team members within the laboratory.
Growing plant cells in tissue culture involves tasks that must be conducted on a regular schedule.
Prepares sterile growth media, transferring the media into petri dishes under sterile conditions in a laminar flow cell culture hood, and transferring clusters of cells (callus tissue) to the plates where they will grow for several weeks.It is imperative that sterile conditions be maintained at every step. Attention to detail is crucial, both to avoid bacterial and fungal contamination and to identifying signs of contamination or growth defects as early as possible, before contamination can spread to other cultures. Cultured cells are grown in multiple independent batches, and each batch needs to be re-cultured every 17-20 days. Each week, new cultures will need to be started, established cultures will need to be re-cultured and maintained, and mature cultures will need to be harvested for use in experiments. Keeping well-organized records of the culture batches at their different stages of production, and of the cell samples that ultimately harvested from each batch of cultured cells, is thus critically important.
Qualifications
EDUCATION
Required
High school diploma or equivalent such as (HSED or GED)
Some background in biology, biotechnology or health sciences at the college level, or acquired by work experience
WORK EXPERIENCE
Preferred
Experience with cell or tissue culture (plants or animals) or maintenance of biological stocks (such as strains of fruit flies, yeast, bacteria etc)
Experience with steam sterilization of liquids and tools (scalpels, forceps etc.) by autoclaving
Experience with sterile techniques/sanitary practices to prevent contamination of cultures by unwanted microorganisms.
SKILLS
Required
Ability to work with cultured cells under sterile conditions
Reliability, and commitment to maintain a continuous production of cells at levels needed for the experiments of multiple researchers
Ability to keep well-organized records of tissue culture media prep, culture batches, and harvested tissues
Attention to detail
Ability to follow written and verbal instructions
Good communication skills with other lab members
Preferred
Good time and work management skills are essential for keeping the cell production process going smoothly
Work Location
The Pikaard Laboratory (Myers Hall Room 300)
Department of Biology
Bloomington, Indiana
Advertised Salary
$25.00 per hour
Work Hours
25 hours per week
Benefits Overview
For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:
Multiple plan options for medical insurance
Dental insurance
Health Savings Account with generous IU contribution
Life insurance, LTD, and AD&D options
Base retirement plan contribution from IU, subject to vesting
Additional supplemental retirement plan options
Tuition benefit for IU classes
10 paid holidays per year
Generous Paid Time Off
Paid Parental Leave
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Learn more about our benefits by reviewing our online Benefits Brochure.
Job Classification
Career Level: Part Time Employee
FLSA: Nonexempt
Job Function: Part Time Employee
Job Family: Part Time Employee
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Posting Disclaimer
This posting is scheduled to close at 11:59 pm EST on the advertised Close Date. This posting may be closed at any time at the discretion of the University, but will remain open for a minimum of 5 business days. To guarantee full consideration, please submit your application within 5 business days of the Posted Date.
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Equal Employment Opportunity
Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on individual qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status. Indiana University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs and activities, including employment and admission, as required by Title IX. Questions or complaints regarding Title IX may be referred to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights or the university Title IX Coordinator. See Indiana University's Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.
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