Senior Research Assistant

Department Overview

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is a world leader in treating leukemia. Our director, Dr. Brian Druker, is an internationally recognized pioneer in precision cancer medicine. Dr. Druker played a central role in developing Gleevec, a daily pill for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) that has saved tens of thousands of lives. Now he is helping lead Beat AML, a major effort to find better treatments for acute myeloid leukemia.

Every Knight Cancer employee is expected to embody our guiding principles:

We act BOLDLY—Breakthroughs require pushing the boundaries of science, exploring new frontiers, and thinking differently

We SUPPORT each other—Respect leads to trust, which leads to excellence

We work as a CONNECTED team—We must leverage our collective brain power to conquer cancer because no one individual can do it alone

Function/Duties of Position

One senior research assistant position is available for a motivated candidate to join the Zhang laboratory in the Division of Oncological Science within the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The Division of Oncological Science is a collaborative and multidisciplinary division with a broad range of expertise and well established research programs in the following four disciplines: cancer system biology, medicinal medicine, cancer data science, and cancer population science.

This position will assist in research that shows how temporal, spatial, and dose perturbation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes predispose to leukemia development and how could we use the leukemia specific vulnerabilities, including the haploinsufficient phenotype observed in patients with chromosome and copy number deletions to develop synthesize lethal therapeutics. Please check Zhang lab’s webpage ( for detailed information.

Duties include:

Maintain long-term tissue cultures for experimental purposes

Plan and perform experiments related to the research goals of the project, including Molecular and cellular biology assays, flow cytometry, mammalian cell culture, biochemistry assays, utilization of in-vivo models and associated techniques, cell isolation and DNA/RNA purification from bacterial cultures, mammalian cell cultures, in-vivo models and patient samples.

Maintain mouse colonies, breed mice and perform in vivo experiments

Collect, record, organize and analyze data

Read literature, data and figure preparation, attend and present at lab meetings

Required Qualifications

Education & experience:

Bachelor's in relevant field AND 1 years of relevant experience OR Equivalent combination of training and experience

In vivo mouse experiment experience

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

Ability to prioritize multiple tasks at one time

Ability to learn new experimental and analytical techniques

Must know how to plan and prepare different projects and experiments ahead of time

Must know how to troubleshoot independently

Must have a high sense of responsibility, analytical and organizational skills

Ability to work independently after training

Must be proficient with computers running Windows and PC applications e.g. MS Excel, Access, Word and PowerPoint)

Task-oriented and are flexible with different working schedules

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree

Experience of working with transgenic mouse model5+ years of relevant experienceR or other computational Data Analytics method

Additional Details

Apply online. Please be sure to upload a Cover Letter and Resume/CV.

We offer a variety of benefits on top of joining a thriving organization:

Medical, dental and vision coverage at no or low cost to employees

Covered 100% for full-time employees and 88% for dependents

Several retirement plans to choose from with contributions from OHSU

25 days a year of paid time off

8 days of sick time off

Commuter subsidies

Tuition reimbursement

Access to group life insurance, disability insurance and other supplemental benefits

Annual Merit Increase

Growth/Development Opportunities

Employee discounts to local and major businesses

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All are welcome

Oregon Health & Science University values a diverse and culturally competent workforce. We are proud of our commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization that does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of any protected class status, including disability status and protected veteran status. Individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and a culture of inclusion are encouraged to apply. To request reasonable accommodation contact the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Department at or .

Regular Full-Time