Research Assistant I, Levi Lab

Why join Dr. Benjamin Levi's Lab at UT Southwestern?

The Levi Laboratory is located in the Department of Surgery at UT Southwestern and lead by the Principal Investigator, Dr. Benjamin Levi. The lab mission is to improve the lives of people living with skin and musculoskeletal diseases through rigorous science and compassion. The lab consists of 1500 square feet state-of-the-art laboratory space equipped with equipment to facilitate experiments and research with tissue cultures, small animal surgeries, and molecular biology. All lab members receive leadership training and coaching from Dr. Levi and other senior level lab personnel. Besides working hard, the Levi Lab will step away from the bench to give back to the community.

Job Summary

The Levi Lab looking for a Research Assistant I to join the team and willing to commit to at least two years. The ideal candidate would perform functions that may include murine animal colony maintenance, designing and performing scientific experiments, analyzing, and interpreting results, following proper safety guidelines, and maintaining lab records/documentation. The Research Assistant I will work on ongoing scientific experiments, which may include tissue culturing, mouse handling, or PCR genotyping. The candidate must be proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The candidate also must be professional, responsible, organized, and dedicated, with strong interpersonal/team skill sets.

Preferred Laboratory Experience and Education

• Willing to commit to at least two years.
• Able to utilize a variety of molecular biology techniques, including but not limited to PCR, qPCR, western blotting, RNA/DNA extraction, cloning, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, and next-generation sequencing.
• Experience with animal handling and animal surgery.
• Experience with single-cell transcriptomic analyses.
• Experience with histology pipeline from tissue harvest to embedding, sectioning, staining, and confocal microscopy.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Able to perform data analysis and interpretation using bioinformatics tools, statistical methods, and relevant software packages.

Experience and Education

• Master's degree with major coursework in the field of assignment and no experience required or
• Bachelor's degree with major coursework in the field of assignment and one year of research experience at the level of research technician or equivalent or
• Two years of college with emphasis on coursework in the field of assignment and four years of research experience, including two years at the level of research technician or equivalent or
• High school graduation or GED and six years of research experience that includes two years at the level of research technician or equivalent

Laboratory Duties

• Animal breeding, genotyping, handling, and surgery
• MicroCT on animal tissue as well as analysis
• Flow cytometry and mass spectrometry
• Histology pipeline from tissue harvest to embedding, sectioning, staining, and confocal microscopy
• Perform more difficult scientific and medical research work in biology, chemistry, physics, or other related scientific field
• Construct, assemble, and operate laboratory equipment and apparatus
• Record and evaluate data obtained from work assignments for use in scientific papers
• Collaborate with supervisor or other research personnel in preparation of scientific papers for publication; collaborate with other scientists outside of the laboratory and outside of UT Southwestern
• Read literature and confer with supervisor concerning procedures and implementation
• Collect and organize research data for project reports
• Prepare and participate in both laboratory meetings and board meetings; participate in reading and writing club within the laboratory weekly
• May plan for, and provide supervision of, the work of research technicians or other laboratory personnel of lower grade
• Maintain accurate records of experimental procedures, observations, and results in laboratory notebooks and electronic databases
• Collect, organize, and analyze experimental data using appropriate software tools and statistical methods
• Maintain laboratory cleanliness and orderliness, including equipment maintenance and calibration
• Adhere to laboratory safety protocols and regulatory guidelines to ensure a safe working environment

Job Duties

• Performs more difficult scientific and medical research work in science area such as biology, chemistry, physics, or other related scientific field.
• Constructs, assembles, and operates laboratory equipment and apparatus.
• Records and evaluates data obtained from work assignments for use in scientific papers.
• Collaborates with supervisor or other research personnel in preparation of scientific papers for publication.
• Reads literature and confers with supervisor concerning procedures and implementation.
• Collects and organizes research data for project reports.
• May plan for, and provide working supervision to, work of Research Technicians or other laboratory personnel of lower grade.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

To learn more about the benefits UT Southwestern offers, visit

UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status. Benefits UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage

100% coverage for preventive healthcare – no copay

Paid Time Off, available day one

Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)

Paid Parental Leave Benefit

Wellness programs

Tuition Reimbursement

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer

Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits