Junior Specialist - Fischer Lab

The Fischer Lab is seeking a professional research assistant (Junior Specialist) starting September 2026. This position is a combination of research, lab management, and animal care. Our lab uses charismatic frogs as a model system to understand how the brain makes behavior and how behaviors evolve. Learn more at ekfischerlab.com.

The position requires excellent organizational skills, precise execution of experiments, rigorous ethical standards, strong communication skills, and the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

The Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior at the University of California, Davis invites applications for qualified Junior Specialists in general support of molecular, cellular, epigenetic, microscopy based, and physiological experiments related to the study of diabetes. All activities will be conducted in the lab.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Research (80%)

The position requires creative contributions to research projects exploring the biological basis of behavior. The position includes both direct work on research projects and oversight of animal care. As such, the incumbent must be comfortable juggling multiple concurrent tasks and be highly organized and structured in doing so. They must also be comfortable working with and maintaining positive relationships with other lab members in a variety of roles.

The animals we work with are central to all our research in the Fischer lab, and a key component of the position is oversight of and direct contributions to animal care. The incumbent must be comfortable working with live animals including collection of tissue samples. Because we maintain a PI-managed animal facility, this will include some non-standard working hours (i.e., weekends and holidays). The utmost commitment to humane, ethical treatment of animals and compliance with all animal protocols is expected. The incumbent must be comfortable managing other lab members (e.g., training, developing schedules, and responding to questions), assisting others with animal monitoring, and maintaining oversight of active projects in the frog room.

In consultation with the Principal Investigator, the incumbent will help determine research goals, design specific projects, and lead data collection, curation, and analysis. Regular research tasks will include but are not limited to behavioral data collection; hormone and gene expression manipulations; molecular work (DNA and RNA extraction, PCR, etc.); tissue preparation, sectioning, and staining; microscopy/imaging; analysis of data using R, BORIS, ImageJ, Fiji, and other software. We are committed to rigor and reproducibility, and this is a key component of all aspects of data collection and analysis. The incumbent is expected to help others with ongoing research projects and may be allowed to develop independent projects if the incumbent and the PI agree this is feasible after the incumbent is fully trained.

Professional competence (10%)

The incumbent is expected to actively participate in weekly lab meetings. Alongside regular research and logistics updates, the incumbent will present a formal research update twice annually. The incumbent is encouraged to attend seminars and engage with the vibrant intellectual community at UC Davis. The incumbent will be encouraged to participate in community engagement activities (K-12, general public). The incumbent will be supported in developing their oral and written communication skills for science and non-science audiences and will receive professional mentoring on career objectives from the PI.

Service (10%)

The incumbent will provide training in lab procedures, animal care, and lab safety to all new lab members, and will act as a mentor to undergraduate researchers. Along with the PI, the incumbent will oversee lab safety compliance and general lab upkeep (ordering, monitoring equipment, scheduling, etc.).

Lab: https://ekfischerlab.com

Department: https://npb.ucdavis.edu/

BA in a relevant field (Biology, Animal Science, Neuroscience, etc.).

Previous experience in a research lab.

Must be comfortable and have experience working with live animals.

Previous experience working with amphibians. Experience with molecular bench work (e.g., DNA/RNA extraction, PCR), immunohistochemistry, and/or genomics/bioinformatics. Basic knowledge of R

• 3 required (contact information only)

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled, "Authorization to Release Information" into UC RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration.

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state for federal law.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check.

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees and students. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service are embodied by members of our academic community who share our commitment to these values. A variety of resources and programs are available to academics, staff, and students that reflect the core values reflected in our strategic plan: "To Boldly Go," our Principles of Community, the Office of Academic Affairs' Mission Statement, and the UC Board of Regents Policy 4400.

UC Davis is also a national leader in inclusive practice. There are numerous links available on the About Us webpage where you can learn more about our administration, campus rankings, locations, campus safety, sustainability, visiting UC Davis and UC Davis Health.

The university is consistently ranked among the top institutions in the world for campus sustainability practices by the UI Green Metric World University Rankings. UC Davis is focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and repeatedly shown its commitment to preserving a healthy and sustainable environment for generations to come.

The University of California and UC Davis are committed to offering a wide variety of benefits for employees. The University of California Employee benefits and UC Davis New Employee benefits webpages have additional information.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.