Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
Job End Date
February 28, 2027
This position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.
This position is subject to the satisfactory completion of required background checks.
Note: Only the Full Time Compensation Range is displayed on the job posting details advertised on the UBC Career sites.
At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.
Job Summary
The Lunken lab (https://www.bcchr.ca/glunken) studies Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which a chronic and relapsing inflammatory condition affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The two forms of IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. IBD patients exhibits altered microbiome related to disease severity that often resolves following therapy.
The Lunken lab focuses on expanding the knowledge of host-immune-microbe interactions, with a specific focus on identifying host and microbial factors involved in different responses to medical and dietary therapies. By better understanding individualized response to treatments, we can move towards developing and using personalized therapeutic programs to improve patient outcomes. The Lunken lab use various digital health technologies and 'multi-omics' techniques (i.e., metagenomics, metabolomics, meta-transcriptomics, metaproteomics) to explore the role that dietary intakes and the microbes residing in the gastrointestinal tract play in changing the response to therapy.
We are looking for a motivated and talented individual to join our team as a Research Technician. The successful candidate will work on cutting-edge projects using pre-clinical models and patient samples to study and improve personalized therapies for IBD.
Organizational Status
The Research technician reports directly to Dr. Genelle Lunken and liaises with other members of Dr. Lunken's research group, including clinical research coordinator, co-investigators, researchers, fellows, students and staff. The Research technician will also work with members of the IBD Centre of BC (https://www.ibdcentrebc.ca) and Gastroenterology Institute of Research Institute (https://pacificgastro.health/research%2Feducation).
Work Performed
Develop and implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) for research protocols, including anaerobic culturing, molecular techniques, and multi-omics approaches (e.g., metagenomics, metabolomics, RNA sequencing).
Perform complex experiments, including DNA/RNA extraction, qPCR, immunostaining, ELISA, western blotting, and flow cytometry, troubleshooting issues, refining methodologies, and adjusting protocols based on research outcomes.
Visualize samples using confocal and fluorescence microscopy, ensuring high-quality imaging.
Maintain highly specialized lab equipment, including anaerobic chambers, bioreactors, and gnotobiotic isolators.
Oversee laboratory organization, scheduling shared equipment, and optimizing lab workflows.
Coordinates biobank operations, ensuring proper aliquoting, labeling, tracking, and storage of patient samples.
Implement and oversee lab safety protocols, hazardous waste disposal, and compliance with institutional policies.
Coordinate grant and donor funds, ensuring appropriate allocation and compliance with UBC, PHSA, and funding agency requirements.
Oversee financial transactions, including research-related expenditures, invoicing, and reconciliations.
Work with vendors and procurement teams to source lab supplies and coordinate purchasing processes.
Assist in budget forecasting and grant applications, preparing supporting documentation and expenditure justifications.
Supervise and mentor junior research staff and student employees, including recruitment, training, and performance monitoring.
Train graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior research staff in laboratory techniques, equipment usage, and experimental protocols.
Coordinate research projects, ensuring timely progress and effective collaboration with clinicians, research partners, and industry stakeholders.
Executes communication strategies for research dissemination, including internal and external lab updates, scientific presentations, and collaborations with media and fundraising organizations.
Assist in organizing research seminars, outreach initiatives, and academic events.
Consequence of Error/Judgement
The successful applicant will exercise a considerable amount of judgment, responsibility, and initiative in determining work procedures and methods, and coordinating the work of the unit. Errors made could compromise the results of research projects, and therefore impact the credibility of the Unit, Centre, Institute and individual Investigator(s).
Decision Making/Accountability:
While the work may be of a complex nature, tasks are assigned and the incumbent plans and schedules his/her own work.
Supervision Received
Works under general supervision; receives detailed instructions on the assignment of new duties and thereafter only on new or unusual problems.
Supervision Given
The successful applicant may oversee and direct the work of one or two employees at lower classifications in which case the successful applicant is responsible for the accuracy, production, and control of the work unit. The successful applicant will also act as a resource for junior trainees.
Minimum Qualifications
Completion of a university degree in a relevant discipline or technical program and a minimum four years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Some positions may require a graduate degree.
Proficiency in culturing microbiota anaerobically.
Experience in preparing mouse or patient samples for next-generation sequencing.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own.
Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one's own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Preferred Qualifications
Minimum of four years of related laboratory experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience. Prior experience working in a laboratory environment is mandatory.
Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Strong time management and organizational skills.
Demonstrated ability to meet short and long-term project deadlines.
Ability to work both independently and within a collaborative team environment.
Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail.
Ability to develop and work with large clinical or research databases, including data cleaning and data analysis using statistical software (e.g., SAS, R, SPSS or STATA) is an asset.
Experience with ex vivo microbiota systems.
Experience biobanking patient samples.
Experience with mouse colony maintenance, basic mouse handling and breeding skills.
Experience performing mouse husbandry using gnotobiotic isolators, including monitoring mouse conditions and sterilizing materials for introduction into germ-free isolators.
Knowledge of fungal culturing and analysis techniques (ITS sequencing in particular) is an asset.