Lab Animal Technician

The Comparative Biology Unit (CBU) is a ~25,000-square-foot animal research facility that is fully accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC). The unit offers a wide range of services including: comprehensive animal care, transgenic rodent breeding services, veterinary surveillance, diet preparation and individualized animal dietary services, animal monitoring, surgery and necropsy. In addition, the CBU houses, operates, and manages the HNRCA rodent behavior and in vivo imaging core. The CBU adheres to strict environmental control guidelines and complies with the Animal Welfare Act provisions, and animal welfare guidelines such as the NIH Guide of the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals standards. All animal studies are reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

The Laboratory Animal Technician is responsible for the daily monitoring, husbandry, and care of lab animals. In addition, once properly trained, experimental, and technical procedures may be required. This position reports to the Associate Director of the CBU.

Animal Husbandry:

• Perform basic animal caretaking (cage changes, clean/cagewash, routine animal feeds, water)
• Maintain the floors, walls, ceilings of the animal care facility (including animal rooms, corridors, diet kitchen, surgery, necropsy, cagewash, remove trash, etc.)
• Monitor food and liquid intake for animals, as well as room environment
• Identify and take appropriate action when signs of illness, injury, pregnancy, or abnormalities in physiology or behavior occur
• Maintain close contact with faculty and student researchers, as well as with the university's consulting veterinarian, especially when a problem is detected or suspected
• Attend regular trainings, as directed, to keep current on changing regulations and standards of humane animal care
  Keep accurate records of day-to-day animal care (e.g. including feeding, cleaning, health checks, animal census)
• Other duties as assigned

Technical Responsibilities:

• Provide routine and standard experimental treatments (sq, ip, iv injections; dosing/gavage) and sample collections (fecal, urine, blood, tissue, etc.) which may involve the use of hazardous/biohazardous materials
  
• Nutritional intervention procedures (diet preparation, dietary dosing, special feeding procedures including pair feed, liquid diet administration)
  
• Specialized rodent breeding (including tail snips, breeding of specific genotypes, and assistance with genotyping)
  
• Assist with surgical, necropsy, and anesthesia procedures where a basic knowledge of rodent anatomy must be maintained
  
• Appropriate data obtained from experimental animals (e.g. animal body weights, food intakes) will be entered into an electronic experimental tracking record
  
• Monitoring of CBU stock supplies of diet ingredients, animal food and bedding, and veterinary supplies, ensuring that adequate quantities are present and within its expiration date.
  
• Occasional work with hazardous materials, biological agents, and carcinogens as needed in a BSL2 containment room

Basic Requirements:

• High school diploma or GED and up to 2 years related experience.
• LAT license within 2 years of hire
• Must speak and understand English and be able to read, write, and understand written and verbal directions precisely
• A working knowledge of animal related federal, local, and state guidelines is required
• Must be able to work under conditions that includes animal odors, heat and humidity from cage washing rooms, and biohazardous materials and chemicals used in research
• Ability to lift weights up to 50 pounds
• Upon proper training, must be able to euthanize animals
• Experience or ability to learn Microsoft Office, Teams, and other facility operational software.
• The candidate must successfully complete a pre-employment evaluation by the Tufts Occupational Health and Safety, N95/PAPR fit test, and required animal welfare training
• The individual must have strong interpersonal skills, be able to work independently and with a minimum of supervision

Special Work Schedule Requirements:

ROTATIONAL WEEKEND AND HOLIDAYS IS MANDATORY. THE EMPLOYEE WILL BE REQUIRED TO REPORT TO WORK AND PERFORM THEIR ASSIGNMENTS IN THE EVENT OF A LOCAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL EMERGENCY, DISASTER, AND/OR CRISIS.