Research Assistant II

Research Assistant III | Human Engineered Heart Tissue Platform, Cardioverse (ARPA-H)

Hinson Lab

Farmington, CT

The Hinson lab at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine and UConn Health is seeking a motivated, detail-oriented Research Assistant III to join our team on the ARPA-H Cardioverse program. Cardioverse aims to build digital twins of the human heart that predict drug safety and efficacy. Our role is to generate large-scale, high-quality experimental data from human engineered heart tissues (EHTs) made from iPSC lines that capture human genetic diversity. These data will train and validate predictive computational models.

You will work in a collaborative, milestone-driven team that combines stem cell biology, tissue engineering, cardiac physiology, genome editing, and multi-omics.

Responsibilities

• Culture, differentiate, and quality-control iPSC lines from genetically diverse donors, and generate iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) at scale.
• Fabricate 3D EHTs and microtissues in multiwell formats, following standardized protocols to ensure reproducibility across lines, batches, and operators.
• Perform functional assays on EHTs, including contractile force, kinetics, and calcium handling, and test compounds in dose-response studies for drug safety and efficacy.
• Prepare samples for multi-omic profiling (for example, RNA-seq and single-cell assays) and imaging.
• Document experiments in detail, including metadata, line identifiers, and batch information, and follow data management practices that support computational modeling.
• Process and organize data, apply quality-control criteria, and work closely with computational collaborators who build the digital twin models.
• Support genome editing of iPSC lines and, as needed, in vivo mouse studies that validate findings from the human tissue platform.
• Maintain laboratory supplies, equipment, and protocols, and help train new lab members.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in biology, biomedical science, bioengineering, or a related field with [3+] years of relevant laboratory experience, or a Master’s degree with [1+] years.
• Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture; iPSC culture and differentiation experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with cardiomyocytes, tissue engineering, or physiological assays such as contractility or calcium imaging is a plus.
• Comfort with high-throughput, multiwell workflows and meticulous record keeping. Experience with pharmacology or compound screening is a plus.
• Basic data analysis skills (Excel, Prism; R or Python a plus).
• Strong organizational and communication skills, and the ability to work independently and in a team with tight timelines and defined deliverables.

Pay Range: $42,751 - $71,575, pay is determined by years of experience

About JAX:

The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and nearly 3,000 employees in locations across the United States (Maine, Connecticut, California, New York, Florida), Japan and China. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.

Founded in 1929, JAX applies over nine decades of expertise in genetics to increase understanding of human disease, advancing treatments and cures for cancer, neurological and immune disorders, diabetes, aging and heart disease. It models and interprets genomic complexity, integrates basic research with clinical application, educates current and future scientists, and provides critical data, tools and services to the global biomedical community. For more information, please visit www.jax.org​​​​​​​.

EEO Statement:

The Jackson Laboratory provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, gender, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, national origin, veteran status, and other classifications protected by applicable state and local non-discrimination laws.