Research Assistant

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been consistently ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

Posted Job Title

Temporary Employee - Non-Exempt

Job Profile Title

Temporary Employee - Non-Exempt

Job Description Summary

The GBM Translational Center of Excellence is a translational research laboratory in the Abramson Cancer Center and Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at the University of Pennsylvania. Part of the laboratory’s mission, led by Dr. Zev Binder, is to identify, capture, and analyze circulating biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. We focus on analysis of cell-free DNA, exosomes, and proteins in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and other fluid specimens.
We aim to
1) identify markers for early detection of disease and post-therapy monitoring of minimal residual disease
2) develop efficient means to monitor responses to therapy and, thus, clinical decision making
3) investigate cancer genetic phenotyping as a tool for personalized medicine
The focus of the GBM TCE is driven by the needs of clinicians and translational scientists and realized through collaborative work with researchers in the Penn School of Medicine, the Penn School of Engineering, and the Center for Personalized Diagnostics. We support numerous interventional clinical trials run at Penn Medicine and also pursue collaborative efforts with industry partners to evaluate new technologies.

Job Description

Position Description:

This is an ideal research assistant position for a student who is interested in a career in the health care or clinical research, and is divided into two components:

1)providing research support in the GBM TCE, and

2)providing research support for medical oncologists and other clinical research coordinators in the cancer clinics.

Clinic - You will be the lead biobanking coordinator for one of our major study areas (for example, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, glioblastoma, etc). You will communicate with oncologists, clinical research staff, and patients as you screen for study inclusion, recruit and consent subjects, and arrange laboratory procedures. There may be opportunities to attend autopsies.

Laboratory – You will learn how to handle human specimens, process and bank samples, and ship samples to collaborators. Training may include plasma collection, harvesting of leukocytes, and DNA extraction. You will learn Good Document Procedure in paper and digital record keeping, how to conduct preliminary analyses, and how to prepare summary figures and texts for manuscripts.

As a part of a highly collaborative team, you will assist and receive support from your colleagues in other study areas, broadening your understanding of several different projects. Excellent organization and communication skills are critical in this position, as daily operations follow clinical schedules.

You will learn how to perform data entry in clinical study databases such as REDCap, VELOS Clinical Trial Management System, patient medical charts, and Excel files, and abstracting data from medical records.

You may also independently design study databases and perform database quality control checks with minimal supervision.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Perelman School of Medicine

Pay Range

$7.25 - $16.00 Hourly Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin(including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protectedunder applicable federal, state or local law.

Special Requirements 
A background check may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health and Life: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare.
• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

Please note that benefit eligibility is determined/based on ACA guidelines.