Description

Are you looking for a career that will make an impact?

The Defense Health Operation of Leidos is currently looking for a Research Assistant to support biological research at the Biological Defense Research Directorate (BDRD) within the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) in Frederick, MD.  The BDRD within NMRC facilitates biological research for the rapid detection of infectious diseases of global importance and the enhancement of global disease surveillance for early pathogen detection and response.

Are you ready for unique and exciting work?

Primary Responsibilities

The ideal candidate shall:

• Perform laboratory research projects including collection and organization of data.

• Identify novel phages from nature and maintain a phage library that can be tested against individual isolates.

• Perform phenotypic characterization of phages (for example, plaque morphology, burst size, and tropism profile).

• Perform genetic characterization of phages (by restriction fragment profiling, pulsed field gel electrophoresis, whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis).

• Manage all aspects of equipment preventative maintenance, troubleshooting and repair.

• Perform market research and sole source justifications for laboratory equipment and supplies.

• Develop improved protocols for wet lab processes associated with high throughput characterization.

• Develop automated pipelines for data analysis.

• Contribute high quality reference sequences to improve the comparator databases.

• Develop technical reports, summaries, and protocols.

• Present data at national and international conferences, symposia or meetings.

• Train US military personnel in sequencing protocols at national and international locations.

• Maintain clear and accurate laboratory records, inventories and logbooks; record detailed observations about experiments. 

• Maintain compliance with established laboratory safety and other procedures. 

• Provide quality control, trouble shooting and maintenance of specialized reagents and equipment.

• Maintain supplies in the laboratory and keeps the laboratory area clean.

• Work is to be performed on a government installation. The normal work week is Monday - Friday 0800 to 1630.

If this sounds like an environment where you can thrive, keep reading for the keys to success!

Basic Qualifications

• The candidate will be required to acquire, at a minimum, a SECRET classification access level.  Preference will be given to a candidate who already has this clearance level.

• Bachelor of Science in a related discipline.  Minimum Experience required:  minimum of 1-2 years directly related research experience

• Must have good communication and analytical skills and the ability to meet project deadlines.

• Requires long periods of sitting and standing; handling of various chemicals

• Due to Federal contract requirements, US citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with bacteriophages and/or next-generation sequencing techniques.

• Experience in a military medical research laboratory is a plus.

• Significant wet lab experience with infectious disease protocols is highly desired.

Naval Health East - NHE

Pay Range:

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is a Fortune 500® technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world’s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company’s 46,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $14.4 billion for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2022.  For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available here.

Securing Your Data

Beware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos’ name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work). Further, Leidos will only communicate with you through emails that are generated by the Leidos.com automated system – never from free commercial services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or via WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. If you received an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information (e.g., about you or your previous employer), and you are concerned about its legitimacy, please make us aware immediately by emailing us at [email protected].

If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Commitment to Diversity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.