Research Assistant 2 at Oregon Health & Science University – Portland, Oregon

Research Assistant 2

US-OR-Portland

Requisition ID: 2026-38228
Position Category: Research
Job Type: Research
Position Type: Regular Full-Time
Posting Department: Dermatololgy
Posting Salary Range: $18.91 - $28.37 per hour with offer based on experience, education and internal equity
Posting FTE: 1.00
Posting Schedule: Monday - Friday
Posting Hours: 8:00am - 5:00pm, varies
HR Mission: School of Medicine
Drug Testable: No

Department Overview

The OHSU Dermatology Research Division merges basic, clinical and translational research in epithelial cell cancers and dermatologic diseases. Our basic and clinician-scientists are committed to innovative research on cancer and inflammation of skin with an impact on understanding causes and improving future treatment of muco-cutaneous diseases and providing more effective patient care.

This position will work with Rajan Kulkarni, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, to investigate methods for early detection of melanoma and other cancers and their recurrence with the goal of enabling translational studies. Research projects include studies of methods for identifying melanoma signatures in the blood and collaboration with other groups performing similar projects. The research assistant will carry out advanced protocols including cell culture, basic molecular biology (DNA, RNA and protein extraction from blood, tissue and saliva, sequencing, design and validation of sequencing and qPCR primers, simple cloning), protein analysis by Western blot, and flow cytometry. The research assistant will also help with analysis of sequencing data. This person will also help with animal experiments; no prior animal experience is necessary but a willingness to work with mice is required.

Function/Duties of Position

• Supports basic day-to-day functions of the lab, including assisting with ordering supplies.

• Carries out cell culture experiments with cell lines and primary human skin cells. Analyzes results using techniques listed in position summary.

• Helps to isolate DNA, RNA and cells from blood and biological fluid samples.

• Performs sequence analysis on blood and tissue-derived DNA from clinical study participants

• Assists with maintenance of mouse colony and performance of mouse model experiments

• Attends all laboratory research and division/department meetings.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's in relevant field OR

• Associate's AND 3 years of relevant experience OR

• 4 years of relevant experience OR

• Equivalent combination of training and experience

• Competent math skills, experience with MS Excel

• Ability to perform the job duties with or without accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree in relevant field

• At least 1 year of work experience in biomedical research lab; prior animal experience is a plus

• Knowledge of next generation sequencing data analysis

Additional Details

The schedule will be full-time (40 hours per week), though the hours can be flexible on mutual agreement and will include evening and weekend work as needed for mouse colony maintenance. The location will be primarily in the dermatology laboratory and associated equipment rooms in CHH1. Specialized experiments will be conducted in core facilities. Exposure as part of this position may include human tissues and fluids. Small animal work (mice) could include monitoring mice, euthanasia, ex vivo tissue collections and processing, depending on the experiments performed.