Research Biological Science Lab Technician (Animal)

Summary

Please note: There is no pay associated with this position. This position serves as a Without Compensation Research Biological Science Lab Technician within the Office of Research and Development (ORD). The VA Research Program strives to promote Veteran-centered care to improve patient experiences and outcomes across VA healthcare and community settings, and to advance value-driven care by providing Veterans the highest quality care at the lowest financial burden.

Duties

Major Duties: Laboratory studies and data analysis. Performing and assisting with laboratory experiments including cell culture and staining of tissue sections. Perfusion fixation of rodents and processing brains for histological examination. Genotype animals, assist with animal experiments, run DNA gels and western blots. Performing experiments using animal models. Maintaining accurate laboratory records. Evaluate the health, well-being, and behavior of the animals before, during and after research experiments. Work Schedule: Intermittent (Without Compensation)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/06/2026. You must possess experience: Performing and assisting with laboratory experiments involving cell culture and staining of tissue selections Assisting with animal experiments Running DNA gels and western blots Genotyping animals Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is predominantly sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there will be some walking, standing, bending and carrying of items of moderate weight such as large binders, banker style file boxes, meeting materials, papers, books or small parts. Hand and eye coordination for delicate testing procedures may be the only special physical demand required to perform the work. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.