About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Scientific & QA.

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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What You’ll Do

The Confidential Client's research lab focuses on how the gut microbiome protects against colonization by multidrug-resistant organisms. As a Research Specialist you will support laboratory and animal-model studies to investigate colonization resistance and mechanisms of antibiotic recovery.

Core responsibilities:

• Set up and run mouse colonization and infection experiments.
• Culture, isolate, and maintain anaerobic commensal bacterial strains.
• Build and process transposon-sequencing (Tn-seq) libraries and other sequencing-based assays.
• Process and analyze bacterial genome and microbiome sequencing data.
• Maintain lab records, order supplies, and follow biosafety and animal-use protocols.
• Train and mentor junior staff and students; participate in team meetings and data review.
• Contribute to preparation of reports, presentations, and manuscripts.

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Levels & Scope

The department may hire at multiple Research Specialist levels depending on experience and budget:

• Research Specialist I — Entry level; works under close supervision; requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) + 2 years related experience or a master’s degree.
• Research Specialist II — Developing level; moderate supervision with some independent judgment; requires a bachelor’s + 4 years related experience or a master’s + 2 years.
• Research Specialist III — Career level; minimal supervision with wide latitude; requires a bachelor’s + 6 years or a master’s + 4 years.

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Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in microbiology, molecular biology, or related field (or equivalency). Equivalency: 1 year of higher education may substitute for 1 year of directly related work experience.
• Relevant bench experience for the level being hired (see Levels & Scope).
• Willingness to work with animal models and follow institutional animal protocols.

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Preferred / Strongly Desired Skills

• Experience with anaerobic bacterial culture and isolation.
• Experience with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and bacterial genetics (cloning, transposon work).
• Hands-on experience with animal infection or colonization models (mice).
• Familiarity with next-generation sequencing workflows and basic bioinformatics for genome/microbiome data.
• Strong attention to detail, good recordkeeping, and the ability to work independently and in teams.

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Compensation & Location

• Estimated pay: $56,812 per year (estimated).
• Location: Utah (on-site work with potential lab-specific expectations).
• Employment type: Full-time (final classification will be confirmed by the hiring department).

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Why Join

• Join a collaborative, supportive lab that emphasizes self-directed work, open communication, and professional growth.
• Work on high-impact research addressing antibiotic resistance and microbiome-mediated protection.
• Training is provided for many specialized techniques — enthusiasm for bench microbiology is highly valued.

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.