Research Technician II

Be You.

The Department of Surgery at Duke University is seeking a research technician with interest in cancer immunotherapy and clinical research. This position will be for one year to start with extensions contingent on availability of funding, performance, and needs of the lab.

Dr. Klemen’s lab is focused on preforming bench-to-bedside research to enhance the function of the immune system by preserving and regenerating T cell function and are developing personalized T cell therapies to efficiently target unique, patient specific cancer mutations for a broad range of cancers including colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancers. The primary duties of this position will be to preform assays to identify the unique cancer mutations that T cells are recognizing, perform functional T cell assays to qualify these mutations as neoantigens, and help the lab screen potential patients for eventual immunotherapy treatment.

Minimum Requirements:

• Work generally requires a bachelor’s degree in botany, biology, zoology, psychology or other directly related scientific field.
• Or an equivalent combination of relevant education and/or experience.

Other Requirements:

• This position is onsite

Be Bold.

Position Description:

• Perform a variety of complex technical duties involved in conducting physical, chemical, biological, and other research laboratory tests, experiments, and determinations to obtain data for research purposes; compile, analyze, document, and draw tentative conclusions from experimental results.
• Process and prepare patient-derived tumor and blood samples for downstream research applications, including isolation, enrichment, and characterization of relevant cellular populations.

• Culture and maintain patient-derived T cells, tumor cells, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) using established laboratory protocols and aseptic technique.
• Isolate, expand, and maintain TILs and other immune cell populations from patient tumor specimens for use in functional studies and translational research.
• Perform functional T cell assays to evaluate immune-cell activity, antigen recognition, and responses to tumor-associated antigens and candidate neoantigens.
• Maintain sufficient inventory of materials, supplies, and equipment for performance of duties; clean and maintain laboratory equipment.
• Maintain accurate records of patient-derived samples, cell cultures, experimental procedures, and research results in accordance with laboratory and institutional procedures.

Choose Duke.

Join our award-winning team and be part of an inclusive culture that values excellence, innovation, and discovery. Duke University is consistently ranked among the top universities worldwide and is renowned for its cutting-edge research across disciplines. Beyond the engaging work, you'll also benefit from Duke's competitive benefits package, including health insurance plans, generous paid time off, retirement programs with employer contributions, tuition assistance for employees and their children, and more.

Screening of Applications: Screening continues until the position is filled.