Microbiologist
IHRC, Inc.
Atlanta, GA 30346
United States
Category
Research
Industry
Consulting
Manages Others
No
Experience Required
Yes
Degree Required
Yes
Security Clearance Required
No
Employment Type
Employee
Work Schedule
Full-Time
Travel
Some Travel
Job Description

JOB TITLE: Microbiologist

POSITION NUMBER: 1901-61671-M-III-02

POSITION LOCATION: Atlanta, GA, USA

ANTICIPATED START DATE: Two weeks after candidate identification

TRAVEL: Domestic travel as needed to meet with staff

IHRC, Inc. provides scientific, information management, management consulting, bioinformatics, and administrative program support to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other Federal and private sector clients. The successful candidate will be a full-time employee of IHRC, Inc. and will be assigned to the Microbial Pathogenesis and Immune Response (MPIR) laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch (RDB), at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA to provide Microbiology and Molecular support services for RDB.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Microbiologist will provide scientific and technical support services to CDC and collaborators to support the objectives of the agency pertaining to respiratory disease surveillance and diagnosis. Activities will focus on developing diagnostic techniques, diagnosing known and emerging infections, finding disease outbreaks that are missing, and expanding diagnostics for key-community-acquired bacterial pathogens.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Conduct experiments for the research and development of robust, sensitive and specific biological assays. The selected candidate will perform analysis of multiple parameters including assay platform, and other components for the detection of disease marker in biological specimens such as urine.
  • Optimize multiple parameters associated with infectious disease diagnosis using serological techniques.
  • Conduct a full range of studies on various real-time serological platforms and optimize accordingly.
  • Analyze and troubleshoot any and all cross-reaction problems associated with the research and development (R&D) of the assay.
  • Provide in-depth analysis of data and interpret trends, critical components, and identify any potential problems associated with design or execution of the assay.
  • Provide documentation on all aspects of performance of assays and developed technology.
  • Provide R&D on new advanced technologies for the purposes of detecting nucleic acids, antibodies or other biological molecules.
  • Perform cell culture work, as needed.
  • Compile, organize and relay data to on-site Point of Contact (POC).
  • Order reagents and consumables, as needed, to perform the assay.
  • Prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs) as instructed for all platforms.
  • Attend staff meetings when requested.
  • Present data orally when requested and assist in providing hands-on training for biological procedures.
  • Develop laboratory training documents.
  • Monitor assay performance through external quality assessments and provide technical support and consultation to international partner laboratories as needed.
  • Develop specialized diagnostic assays and reagents for respiratory agents for deployment to, and serve as a technical authority for, international partner laboratories.
  • Perform supervised diagnostic tests on human clinical specimens to support outbreak investigations and etiologic/surveillance and disease burden studies.
  • Maintain meticulous electronic and paper records of laboratory activities.
  • Examine new technologies for the serological diagnosis of pathogenic microbes.
Job Requirements
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:
•Master's degree in Microbiology, Molecular Biology or related field.

Required:
•Laboratory experience using molecular, immunological, and cell biology techniques.
•Knowledge and experience with real-time PCR testing as well as genome-based typing systems are essential.
•Experience working with pathogenic bacteria.
•Expert knowledge and ability to perform molecular techniques to include polymerase nucleic acid amplification, gene sequencing, basic gene cloning techniques, gene expression, bacterial growth and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Language Skills:
•The candidate must possess excellent oral and written communication skills in English

REQUIREMENT:
•Must be United States citizen or permanent resident or have authorization for employment in the United States.

SALARY: Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

To apply for this position:
•If you are viewing this position on the IHRC Career Center, please click on the "Apply Now" button.
•If you are viewing this position on a site other than the IHRC Career Center, you may use the “click to apply” link, or you may apply by visiting our Career Center and searching for the position number listed at the top of this position description.
•To view all of our open positions, and to apply to those positions in which you may be interested, please visit our Career Center, which can also be reached by visiting www.ihrc.com/Careers and clicking on the “View Opportunities” link.

IHRC, INC. IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER. It is the policy of IHRC, Inc. to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, citizenship, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, veteran or disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law, and to take affirmative action in accordance with applicable laws and Executive Orders.