Biological Science Laboratory Technician

Summary

Three positions are available at the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, US National Poultry Research Center, Toxicology and Mycotoxin Research Unit, and Endemic Poultry Viral Diseases Unit, in Athens, Georgia. In this position, you will work with scientists to find solutions to poultry health challenges, including either fungal toxins, or endemic poultry viruses. You will handle poultry, inject and collect samples, in addition to various lab techniques.

Duties

• •Participates in poultry research including handling, blood collection, IV injection, and tissue sample collection using aseptic techniques.
• •Collects, measures, evaluates and verifies poultry, animal tissue, fungal, or microbial samples and supporting records.
• •Assisting in the preparation of poultry samples for advanced flow cytometry analysis, contributing to the characterization of immune cell populations.
• •Conducting molecular techniques such as PCR, RT-PCR, qPCR, Western blot ELISA, molecular cloning, and chemical analysis
• •Collecting cell cultures, propagation, and characterization of poultry viruses, bacteria, and cell lines.
• •Assisting histological processing including tissue fixation, embedding, sectioning, and staining.
• •Maintains, calibrates and modifies complex/specialized equipment and automated systems used for test and evaluation procedures.
• •Safely disposes of waste material (both chemical and biological).

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. GS-05 Specialized experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-05 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-04 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience assisting higher level technicians in one or more phases of the research process in a laboratory setting; and operating common laboratory equipment. OR Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study above the high school level leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position being filled. Related courses may include biology, microbiology, molecular biology, poultry science, dairy science, animal science, or infectious disease. OR A combination of specialized experience and education as described above. GS-06 Specialized experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-06 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-05 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience analyzing microbiological samples in a laboratory environment; assisting with handling poultry, cattle, swine or laboratory rodents; compiling and summarizing data from experiments; and operating laboratory equipment. OR Education: One full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include biology, microbiology, molecular biology, poultry science, dairy science, animal science, or infectious disease. OR A combination of specialized experience and education as described above. GS-07 Specialized experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience analyzing microbiological samples in a laboratory environment; assisting with preparation of poultry samples for advanced analysis; and operating and maintaining laboratory equipment. OR Education: One full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include biology, microbiology, molecular biology, poultry science, dairy science, animal science, or infectious disease. OR A combination of specialized experience and education as described above. GS-08 Specialized experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-08 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in a microbiological research project related to poultry; handling poultry, cattle, swine or laboratory rodents; analyzing and summarizing results of scientific research data; and operating laboratory equipment or instruments. OR Education: Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include biology, microbiology, molecular biology, poultry science, dairy science, animal science, or infectious disease. OR A combination of specialized experience and education as described above. GS-09 Specialized experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-08 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience leading the handling poultry, cattle, swine or laboratory rodents; conducting a microbiological research project related to poultry; collecting and evaluating virus samples from poultry; and performing cell culture techniques on virus samples collected from poultry. OR Education: Two full years of graduate level education or a master's degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include biology, microbiology, molecular biology, poultry science, dairy science, animal science, or infectious disease. OR A combination of specialized experience and education as described above. Other Considerations: The incumbent must follow instructions regarding decontamination from biocontainment. The work involves regular and recurring moderate risks or discomforts which require special safety precautions, e.g., working with contagious diseases or irri