Research Technician I-II

Overview

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is an independent, nonprofit organization providing adult cancer treatment and groundbreaking research focused on cancer and infectious diseases. Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington.

With a track record of global leadership in bone marrow transplantation, HIV/AIDS prevention, immunotherapy and COVID-19 vaccines, Fred Hutch has earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading cancer, infectious disease and biomedical research centers. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services, and network affiliations with hospitals in five states. Together, our fully integrated research and clinical care teams seek to discover new cures to the world’s deadliest diseases and make life beyond cancer a reality.

At Fred Hutch we value collaboration, compassion, determination, excellence, innovation, integrity and respect. Our mission is directly tied to the humanity, dignity and inherent value of each employee, patient, community member and supporter. Our commitment to learning across our differences and similarities make us stronger. We seek employees who bring different and innovative ways of seeing the world and solving problems.

The Blanco-Melo lab, within the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, studies the strategies that animal hosts have deployed throughout evolution to combat viral infections. The lab’s work particularly focuses on medically important human viruses, such as Influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2, as well as ancient viral pathogens and their impact on the evolution of animal immune responses. Through the combination of molecular biology, genomics and bioinformatics, the Blanco-Melo lab seeks to characterize and exploit our highly evolved antiviral responses, in order to enable the design of broadly acting therapeutics against current and emerging viral threats.

Our lab is seeking a highly motivated and curious Research Technician I-II to assist with ongoing research focused on understanding the mechanisms controlling human antiviral pathways and the evolutionary forces that drove their emergence. The successful candidate will be responsible for working on a variety of bioinformatics analyses aimed at understanding the gene regulatory network controlling the human innate immune response to viral infections and characterizing the properties of viral infections that occurred in the past. Candidates must have majored in a computational biology program, or in scientific areas related to virology and genomics, have experience in computational biology, bioinformatics, and gene regulatory network analyses. Under the guidance of the Principal Investigator, the successful candidate will work closely with other lab members to accomplish the goals of the laboratory.

Responsibilities

• Design and perform bioinformatic analyses to support investigative work. Perform and optimize documented data analysis pipelines. Maintain laboratory records and compile data on experiments and results.
• Use software and/or databases to gather, store, manipulate, and analyze research data.
• Identify and resolve technical issues and propose upgrades to current software.
• Interpret and report on analytical results. Perform statistical analyses of test results (including charts and graphics) and prepare written and/or oral reports on work performed.
• Conduct literature reviews to assist in determining most suitable methods to be used in research. Assist in publication of results by proofreading, editing, and contributing ideas, often as co-author or author.
• May be responsible for the performance of individual research projects.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Principal Investigator.

Qualifications

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Research Technician I:

• Bachelor’s degree in related scientific field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated scientific knowledge in the area of study.
• Demonstrated basic laboratory skills.

Research Technician II: 

• Bachelor’s degree in related scientific field or equivalent combination of education and experience
• 2 years of experience working in a lab outside of school coursework

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• BA/BS in computational biology, genomics, virology or related scientific areas.
• Previous experience with high-throughput sequencing data and bioinformatic sequence analysis.
• Proficiency with Unix.
• Proficiency in programing languages (e.g., Python, Perl, R).
• Research experience outside of laboratory course work.
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Motivation, adaptability, and ability to be a team player. 
• The candidate must be someone with great attention to detail, well-organized, self-motivated, and able to efficiently manage time and experiments.