Biomarker Scientific Research

The EPA National Student Services Contract has an immediate opening for a full-time contractor position; Biomarker Scientific Research with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Chapel Hill, NC. 

Salary: $43.31 per hour.

Travel: Occasional overnight travel may be required.

·        Knowledge of general laboratory safety practices;

·        Proficiency with general laboratory techniques, including aseptic and sterile technique;

·        Substantial practical experience beyond college coursework and demonstrated proficiency in the use of various biomarker tests: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), kinetic assay,MSD electrochemiluminescence assay and LuminexTM multiplex suspension assays. Nucleic acid extraction and molecular analyses using a variety of commercial kits; and development of new multiplex salivary immunoassays using the LuminexTM and related platforms to study immune responses to a range of chronic and acute infections;

·        Demonstrated experience with development, optimization, validation and application of multiplexed Luminex immunoassays for analysis of antibody responses to pathogens in serum and saliva;

·        Demonstrated experience in molecular biology research, including experience with nucleic acid extractions, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, quantitative (q)PCR, and gel electrophoresis;  

·        Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (i.e., Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook);

·        Strong communication skills including written, oral, and presentation abilities;

·        Experience with data processing, cleaning, quality controls and data analysis techniques, including fitting dose-response curves to serially diluted standards, producing plots and summary tables, checking for out-of-range observations, and manipulating datasets; and

·        Experience using SAS or R statistical analysis software.

·        Be at least 18 years of age and

·        Have earned at least a Doctorate degree in biology, microbiology, molecular biology, public health, environmental sciences, engineering or related field of study from an accredited university or college within the last 24 months and

·        Be a citizen of the United States of America or a Legal Permanent Resident.

 

The Epidemiology Branch (EB) of the Public Health and Environmental Systems Division (PHESD), Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) at EPA conducts epidemiological research supporting EPA’s regulations and helping communities to make better decisions to sustain a healthy society and environment. A research team in EB is working to develop and apply biomarker based measures to study the interactions between immune responses to infection and natural and social environmental stressors, the interactions between social and psychological stress and infection risk, the associations between exposure to PFAS and other environmental chemicals, infection risk, and immune responses, and the beneficial immunological and other health effects associated with exposure to urban green space and other natural environments.

This is an excellent opportunity for a recent Postdoc to collaborate with EPA’s research team. Research experience includes: