Rsch Pro 5-Zoology - Military Veterans

A Research Professional 5 position is available with Dr. Peter Larsen in the College of
Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. The Larsen Lab has secured multi-year
funding to support research focused on the detection and characterization of known and novel tick-borne pathogens throughout Minnesota and Kansas. The successful candidate will assist with project management, proposal development, day-to-day logistics, and fieldwork aimed at surveying ticks and rodent hosts for zoonoses. Experience in wildlife disease biosurveillance and field-based research is required. The successful candidate will be part of an innovative, multi-disciplinary research effort aimed at deploying mobile laboratories to remote field locations (globally) for real-time mammal species barcoding and zoonotic disease surveillance and discovery. Opportunities will also exist for collaborative work on the deployment and field-based testing of portable instruments for the real-time detection of infectious prions.

The Research Professional 5 position in the Larsen Lab is available immediately. The ideal
candidate will have experience developing and managing One Health research projects with a focus on wildlife disease biosurveillance. They will also have extensive field experience with an emphasis on projects focused on assessing the spillover risk of zoonotic viruses circulating in wild mammals. Opportunities for collaborative research with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health faculty as well as the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach will be made available.

Primary responsibilities:
60% Project management, planning, and field logistics: work with project PIs to
ensure milestones are completed in a timely manner, identify funding opportunities and
assist with proposal development and grant writing, and assist with logistics associated
with the planning and execution of fieldwork.

20% Biorepository building and curation: aid in the collection of wildlife and
associated biological samples, oversee the organization, storage, and curation of
biological samples and associated metadata. Assist with securing tissue loans from
natural history collections and maintaining the Larsen Lab biorepository.

10% Molecular research: assist with the production of PCR, RT-PCR, or nanopore
sequence data.

10% Training: serve as a subject matter expert in hands-on training of students and
staff.

Required qualifications and experience
PhD in Zoology or related field
Minimum of 5 years of experience in wildlife disease biosurveillance
Experience with developing and securing federal funding, including proposal writing, data management planning, budgeting, preparing required documents for proposal
submission, and project partner coordination Program management and organizational skills, with a proven ability to work independently and as a member of a collaborative team of diverse stakeholders
Strong scientific writing skills with a proven record of publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals
Experience with contributing to and maintaining natural history collections

Preferred qualifications and experience
Experience leading and/or assisting with the training of personnel in project-specific research protocols
Experience conducting international-based fieldwork; prior research experience in resource-limited and/or remote field sites a plus
Experience in field biosafety and biosecurity practices, including training field personnel in the proper usage of personal protective equipment
Excellent interpersonal written and verbal communication skills; prior experience collaborating with project partners from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds a plus
Ability to maintain a positive attitude in adverse environmental conditions and a strong sense of team spirit