RD Engineer

Position Summary:

The RD Engineer will be responsible for driving the scientific management, planning, and execution of clinical research projects. This position will also support the development and incorporation of new clinical biomarkers.

Essential functions of the job include but are not limited to:

• Lead overall support for Apostream
• Responsible for maintenance of Apostream systems and trouble shooting
• Responsible for the oversight of daily, weekly and monthly preventive maintenance of Apsotream systems
• Responsible for supply chain management; be able to identify new parts needed for Apostream instruments
• Develop and perform QC and material productiong. buffer prep, bead sample prep, etc.

• Build or refurbish flow chambers, and qualify the chambers on an as needed basis
• Responsible for maintaining ApoStream SOPs and train other employees in normal care and operation protocols
• Support Leidos at the management level, responsible for the oversight of inventory; Leidos orders & prepare PM kits
• Be the point of contact with our consultants and external field engineer for all ApoStream programs
• Utilize existing, as well as newly developed, microfluidic device technology to support internal projects, eg: isolate rare cells such as circulating tumor cells (CTC) from blood, and analyzes these using immunocytochemical or immunofluorescence techniques, microscopy, PE Polaris quantitative image analysis, and/or RNA/DNA-based assays
• Support Apostream function on weekends as needed
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• Write proposals, generates scientific abstracts, publications and grant applications
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• Work closely with project managers and resource managers to lead scientific project deliverables and drive assay/product development, project design, execution, and report generation
• Communicate effectively with personnel at all levels to accomplish goals
• Participate in scientific and operational process improvement efforts as required
• Perform quality control on laboratory processes, data generation and analysis, and compiled internal and external reports
• Investigate and corrects unexpected events
• Prepare project work scope
• Participate in R&D and Method Development activities as needed
• Adhere to CLIA and GCP requirements as appropriate, SOP’s, and study protocols
• Adhere to safety protocols
• Assure adequate control of processes, supplies, reagents and project specimens
• Assure that all laboratory equipment is in good working order and calibrated/qualified before use
• Process human blood and tissue samples for clinical research testing
• Efficiently use time and resources to accomplish required tasks
• Demonstrate the ability to perform all duties and tasks at a level of proficiency
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Minimum Required:

• D in biomedical engineering and material science or related fields with a minimum of 2 years post-doctorate experience in an academic or industrial laboratory OR
• S in biomedical engineering and material science or related fields with a minimum of 5 years of academic or industrial laboratory experience

Other Required:

• Professional certification for specialized testing methodologies or instrumentation as applicable (e.g. ASCP)
• Outstanding skills with project planning, experimental design, oversight and advanced troubleshooting related to execution of the cellular analysis related projects, documenting and analyzing data and generating detailed reports
• Team player
• Ability to work under pressure and multitask
• Excellent organizational, written, and oral communication skills
• Must be proficient at documenting, analyzing data and generating detailed reports
• Must be mid to advance in MS Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Must be able to read, write, speak fluently and comprehend the English language
• Occasional long hours, work on the evenings, weekends, and holidays along with the possibility travel in order to support business and/or scientific objectives

Preferred:

• Record of manuscript publication in peer-reviewed journals
• Experience with rare cell analysis including Circulating Tumor Cells and/or stem cells
• Experience with grant submission
• Any level of postdoctoral research or industry experience in oncology, immunology or related fields with focus on cellular analysis
• Translational research experience or track record with publications
• Cell culture experience
• Some experience with immunofluorescent and immunohistochemistry applications including flow cytometry and/or image microscopy analysis
• Knowledge of automated laser scanning cytometry or other image microscopy platforms
• Experience with Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop and specialized image analysis software