Laboratory Assistant

To provide services and deliverables through performance of support services.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent.

• Minimum of two (2) years of related experience.

• Miscellaneous Biology

• Microsoft Office

• Experience working in a complex, demanding and faced paced dynamic work environment.

• Work products and documents related to ensuring proper operation and daily maintenance of all equipment (wash machine, oven, autoclave). - Daily

• Work products and documents related to performing visual inspections and adhering to quality assurance plan for glassware procedures. - Ad-Hoc

• Work products and documents related to assisting the Media Lab with glassware needs and administrative tasks as needed. - Daily

• Segregate clean, process and return cleaned items to designated “pickup shelves” or to stock shelves. - 1
• Order and stock standard laboratory glassware and associated supplies. - 2
• Clean and sterilize glassware, plasticware and hand instruments as appropriate. - 3

• Provides laboratory experience needed to order, maintain and sterilize commonly used laboratory supplies.

• Prepares instruments, linens and other necessary lab equipment for use and decontaminates biohazardous waste.

• Keep admin staff updated on issues and problems pertaining to glassware procedures and needed repairs to equipment.

• Communicate with the lab staff daily to ensure their needs are being met.

• Maintains and cleans laboratory.

• Maintain adequate levels of glassware items for laboratories.

• Ensure adequate supplies for operation are kept on hand to maintain operation.

• Properly prepare cleaned glassware to ensure sterility for lab personnel (i.e. plug pipettes as appropriate).

• Perform QC for each item washed to check for residue, cracks or other imperfections; assisting with discarding any items that are no longer able to meet laboratory standards.

• Collects receiving and packing slips and tracks supply orders.

• Utilize AMBIS system to order supplies for glassware operation.

• Maintain detailed daily reports on items washed; transfer handwritten logs to excel spreadsheet and provide monthly to Government representative.

• Pick up dirty glassware from Media Laboratory and Building 28.

• Learns and performs basic techniques and procedures.

• Conduct analytical QA/QC Testing of clean glassware, including utilize laboratory Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analyzer to test for residual levels of alkaline detergent on clean glassware; utilize conductivity instrument to measure washer rinse samples to test for acid detergent residual and inorganic lab contaminants in last rinse; perform routine maintenance of TOC analyzer including persulfate oxidation reagent replenishment, UV bulb maintenance and periodic calibration using calibration standards.

• Operates commonly used equipment, inspects for proper operation and performs minor maintenance; update staff on equipment problems and update staff on any and all issues and requirements.

• Assist the Media laboratory personnel with cleaning, organizing and other administrative tasks; clean and set up biosafety cabinet for use to prepare sterile media; acquire and organize necessary glassware to dispense the day’s media orders; prepare sterile water; bag and label completed agar plates for customer pick up. Collects and prepares samples for use.

• Assist Media Lab prepare various media including weighing and mixing ingredients; use the pH meter to adjust pH of media; dispense media into glassware and/or pour agar plates; access Media Lab database to check for new media orders and process completed.

• Assists research and laboratory staff prepare for and conduct experiments.

• Maintain a supply center located in the clean glassware storage room, including monitor temperatures of refrigerator and freezer, stock supply center and ensure reagents are stored at proper temperatures, charge labs for items taken from supply center; maintain inventory and keep record of item usage for future orders of supplies.