This position serves as Without Compensation Research Assistant within the Office of Research and Development (ORD). The VA Research Program strives to promote Veteran-centered care to improve patient experiences and outcomes across VA healthcare and community settings, and to advance value-driven care by providing Veterans the highest quality care at the lowest financial burden. Please note, there is no pay associated with this position.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/24/2025. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Experience: You must possess general experience in (1) any type of work that includes contact with tissues, blood/other body liquids, human pathological samples or cell lines or works with infectious organisms, including prion proteins or tuberculosis; and (2) exposure to toxic, explosive, flammable, carcinogenic or teratogenic chemicals as well as be able interpret the standard for storing and transport these chemicals.. OR, Education: You must possess a graduate degree from an accredited college or university in a Biological Sciences field. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of experience and education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Chemistry Critical Thinking Research Specimen Collection Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work requires moderate agility and frequent standing. The design of many of the experiments will require activities on one or two days per week than extent into the evening, during the night and into the early morning. Weekend monitoring of experiments will occasionally be required. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Design and conduct experiments under the guidance of a principle investigator (PI). Analyze and interpret data from molecular, cellular, or in vivo assays. Review scientific literature to identify gaps in knowledge and formulate research questions. Maintain accurate and detailed lab notebooks and digital records. Prepare presentations for lab meetings, seminars and conferences. Write manuscripts and contribute to grant applications. Develop new methods of optimize protocols for experimental efficiency. Collaborate with lab members and external researchers. Train or mentor junior students. or intern in techniques and lab etiquette. Comply with safety protocols and institutional research policies.