Research Technician, Norman LabEmpty heading

The people of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are united by a singular mission: ending cancer for life. Our specialized care teams provide personalized, compassionate, expert care to patients of all ages. Informed by basic research done at our Sloan Kettering Institute, scientists across MSK collaborate to conduct innovative translational and clinical research that is driving a revolution in our understanding of cancer as a disease and improving the ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat it. MSK is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists and clinicians, who go on to pursueour missionat MSK and around the globe.

Exciting Opportunity at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Join the Norman Lab as a Research Technician! You'll contribute to experiments using ground breaking functional genomics technologies, learning novel approaches for large-scale CRISPR screening and Perturb-seq directly from the team that developed them. We provide an interdisciplinary training environment where you can build both experimental and computational skills, a combination that's increasingly valuable across research careers. Previous technicians from the lab have gone on to top-tier biotech roles and graduate programs.

Role overview:

• Perform mammalian tissue culture and routine analysis of cells by flow cytometry, microscopy, qPCR, and other methods.
• Clone lentiviral vectors, perform large-scale lentiviral preps, and create stable cell lines.
• Perform single-cell RNA sequencing experiments and library preparation according to manufacturer protocols.
• Train to clone sgRNA libraries and perform state-of-the-art CRISPR screens and Perturb-seq experiments.
• Participate in the analysis of experimental data as it is generated.
• Assist peers and researchers with ongoing projects, fostering a collaborative lab environment.

Key qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a biology/life sciences.
• Experience in mammalian tissue culture (particularly with primary fibroblasts or macrophages), molecular cloning, lentiviral transduction, and CRISPR genetics are strong positives.
• Experience with genomics techniques or data analysis is a plus but not required. The lab's analysis work is conducted in Python.
• This role is best suited for candidates planning to stay for two years, which allows time to develop expertise before the next step in your career.

Core Skills:

• Outstanding communication and self-awareness.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving to optimize efficiency.
• Adaptability and resilience to lead change and innovation.
• Collaboration and building trusting relationships.

Additional Information:

• Location: Zuckerman Research Center, NYC
• Schedule: 37.5 hours per week (onsite)

Helpful Links:

• Norman Lab website
• Compensation Philosophy
• Benefits

Learn more about the Norman Lab: We're a hybrid experimental-computational group in the Computational & Systems Biology program at Memorial Sloan Kettering-one of the world's largest cancer research institutions, with over 120 labs spanning basic and translational science. Our focus is on developing and applying high-throughput genetic tools to understand how cells make decisions, and how those decisions go wrong in disease.

What we work on:

• CRISPR screening at scale: We co-developed Perturb-seq, a method that combines CRISPR gene editing with single-cell sequencing to understand what thousands of genes do, one cell at a time. We've scaled this technology from early proof-of-concept to genome-wide screens.
• Cell identity in disease: Cells called fibroblasts take on harmful states in cancer and fibrosis. We use genetic screens to find the genes that control these transitions and to identify factors that reverse them.
• Computational methods: We build machine learning tools to interpret our large-scale experiments, such as approaches to link regulatory DNA elements to the genes they control.

Closing:

At MSK, we believe in fair, competitive pay that reflects your job, experience, and skills.

MSK is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of recruiting and employment. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran status or any other factor which cannot lawfully be used as a basis for an employment decision.

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