Research/Laboratory Assistant Duties and Responsibilities
Purpose of Classification:
Assists
researchers in performing a variety of routine or repetitive
technical duties in a laboratory and/or on a research project.
Incumbents draw largely upon their practical knowledge and
experience derived from trial and error work.
Distinguishing Characteristics:
This is
third in a series of seven classifications and is distinguished from
the Research/Laboratory Aide in that incumbents spend the majority
of their time, if not all of it, performing technical duties while
the Research/Laboratory Aide spends at least half their time in
glass washing and non-technical duties. At this level, a thorough
knowledge of theory is not required. Incumbents may be assigned to
one of various types of research areas such as social or physical
sciences or other specialized research fields. Incumbents may be
required to travel to remote locations to perform research
experiments and may be required to work with potentially hazardous
materials such as toxic chemicals, radiation and/or disease causing
organisms.
Examples of Duties:
- Performs standard laboratory procedures such as maintaining
cell cultures requiring the use of sterile technique, processing
tissue samples and preparing slides using staining techniques.
- Maintains plant collections, which includes planting,
fertilizing, propagating and harvesting; performs routine
experiments and analyses, as requested.
- Maintains animal or insect colonies, including feeding,
watering, sexing and breeding the subjects.
- Compiles data and assists in routine preliminary analyses;
maintains research data in laboratory notebook; writes summary
reports and reports findings to investigator.
- Assists in performing surgeries and dissections on animals,
which includes setting up equipment and supplies, preparing
animals for surgery, anesthetizing and monitoring heart rate of
animal, and harvesting tissue samples and readily accessible
organs.
- Collects samples or data and performs lab analysis and/or
quantifies and tabulates results.
- Operates laboratory and experimental equipment such as
microtomes, microscopes, electron microscopes,
spectrophotometers, centrifuges, analytical balances,
photometers and spectrometers; makes minor repairs and makes
arrangements for major repairs to be performed.
- Organizes supplies, materials or equipment and sets-up
equipment for laboratory experiments or demonstrations; may
perform minor equipment maintenance.
- Maintains detailed records of controlled substances in the
laboratory; packages waste material and arranges for disposal
according to established procedures.
- Assists with basic mathematical and statistical analyses.
- Follows established procedures to prepare solutions, media
and reagents using arithmetical calculations for measuring;
performs library research to find appropriate procedures, as
required.
- Cleans glassware and other laboratory equipment or materials
using appropriate standards; keeps laboratory area clean.
- Performs clerical tasks such as filing, typing, labeling and
billing; inventories and requisitions supplies and materials.
- Assists in training Research Laboratory Glassware Attendants
and/or students working in the laboratory.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Knowledge of the methods, materials and techniques used in
laboratory and research work.
- Knowledge of research and laboratory equipment appropriate
to the area of the assignment.
- Skill in both verbal and written communication.
- Skill in recording research data.
Minimum Qualifications:
Three
years' related laboratory or field research experience; OR, Any
equivalent combination of experience and/or education from which
comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.
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