Research Biological Science Laboratory Technician

Summary

Please note: There is no pay associated with this position. This position serves as Without Compensation (WOC) Research Biological Science Laboratory 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: Experience performing and/or assisting with laboratory experiments including cell culture and staining of tissue sections. Experience independently conducting experiments, data collection, analysis, and interpretation Handle mice, maintain mouse breeding colony, collect tissue for genotyping, perform mouse surgical procedures. Organize and maintain data records in lab notebooks and in computer spreadsheets, graph and perform statistical analysis on results. Present results to Principal Investigator (PI) and other lab members individually and in group settings. Operate standard lab equipment such as microscopes, centrifuges, balances, and pH meters. Help maintain equipment in good working order. Assisting lab members in a variety of laboratory techniques as required/assigned, such as PCR, mouse behavioral testing, or administration of test substances. Perfusion fixation of rodents and processing brains for histological examination. Helps to evaluate mice health, well-being, and behavior 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, 11/23/2026. Individual Occupation Requirements: All qualified applicants must meet this requirement for the WOC- Research Biological Science Laboratory Technician, 0404 series. Experience: Managing timeline and deliverables for successful completion of projects Facilitating compliance with all regulatory and administrative requirements Collecting blood samples and tissues, and performing routine techniques in the laboratory such as cell culture Design and execution of different project activities Collecting, analyzing, and storing samples for further analysis OR Education: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must be directly related to the position to be filled. (transcript required) OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of experience and education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Critical thinking 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: Walking, bending, stooping, reaching, and lifting is involved in moving animal cages and for routine care and treatment of animals. Persons who are known to have allergies to fur and/or animal dander, should not work in this area. 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

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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/.