Summary

The Senior Research Operations Associate (SROA) will coordinate, oversee, and conduct business operations of the Patient-Derived Xenograft Core at Baylor College of Medicine. Will coordinate PDX projects for five organ site Principal Investigators at BCM and PDX programs across Texas under a Cancer Prevention and Research Initiative of Texas (CPRIT)-funded Core Facility Support Grant. The SROA will write research protocols and oversee compliance with IACUC, IRB, and other regulatory protocols, manage interactions with external clients and vendors, and maintain high PDX characterization, biobanking, and data collection standards. This role will interface with the Cancer Center to foster collaborative studies and ensure researchers' needs are being met.

This role is eligible for hybrid work schedule and department may consider fully remote work for those that are highly qualified and live outside the Houston area.

Job Duties

Core Administration (40%)

• Manage PDX Core activities related to data generation, quality control, organization and reporting
• Prepare annual PDX Core budget and annual report in coordination with ATC staff and CPRIT Project Manager
• Perform annual cost analyses for pricing and provision of services in coordination with ATC staff, CPRIT Project Manager, and Principal Investigators
• Bill users for completed projects
• Coordinate Sponsored Research Projects from for-profit organizations
• Write, amend, and maintain compliance with IRB, IACUC, HAHC, Radiation, and IBC protocols
• Research and incorporate new software systems/databases to house and organize data
• Participate in the design and construction of the PDX Insights web portal in conjunction with the Dan L Duncan Cancer Center's software development group
• Write yearly progress report; write grant renewal documents and determine budget as needed
• Coordinate with independently administered PDX programs at BCM, including those for prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, pediatric sarcoma (Texas Children’s Hospital, TCH), pediatric lymphoma (TCH), pediatric leukemia (TCH) for PDX establishment and data inclusion into the PDX Portal
• Organize and conduct state-wide PDX user group meetings
• Facilitate onboarding of 95% of all PDX development groups in the state of Texas for inclusion of PDX collections into the PDX Insights web portal as stipulated in our CPRIT-funded Core Facility Support Grant
• Coordinate Pilot Project program under our CPRIT Core Facility Support Grant
• Serve as the Co-Leader for the PDX Shared Resource for the Cancer Center
• Create content for the P30 Shared Resources Retreat and participate in shared resource planning meetings
• Develop and coordinate PDX establishment programs at BCM for breast, bladder, gynecological, head & neck, and lung cancer groups, which entails coordination with an additional seven investigators and staff

Core-Based Research Administration (30%)

• Work with the IACUC to standardize verbiage for protocols and collate protocol-related information to create a database for BCM investigators
• Solicit, negotiate, and implement national and International Research Cooperative Agreements (RCA); oversee the conduct of RCA, including reporting and regulatory activities
• Participate as a Scientific Advisory Committee member for the PDX program at the Jackson Laboratory every two years
• Coordinate inter-core collaborative studies between the Biosciences Repository and the PDX, Mass Spectrometry Proteomics, Metabolomics, Antibody-based Proteomics, and GARP cores
• Solicit vendors for collaborative projects to cut costs and streamline project initiation
• Research and design novel PDX-related experiments to coincide with CPRIT specific aims

Investigator-Initiated Research Administration (30%)

• Grant planning, preparation, and submission assistance to PDX Core users.
  • Assist with experimental design in conjunction with the Academic Core Director
  • Assist with the preparation of Specific Aims pages
  • Prepare cost projections and budget justifications
  • Collate data provided by the PDX Core and prepare any necessary figures
  • Read and critique user grants before submission
  • Assist with responses to reviewers for revisions
• Act as a liaison between the core and Principal Investigator to ensure projects are on target
• Write/create content for letters of support, progress reports, scientific publications, abstracts and posters
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Four years of relevant experience.

Department Specific Criteria

• Experience in managing department operations within a scientific space, specifically rooted in communication and logistics
• Ability to design PDX-based experiments, particularly with respect to drug evaluation
• Ability to develop budgets and costs analyses
• Ability in negotiating Cooperative Research Agreements and to coordinate agreement activities
• Working knowledge of biomedical research with previous laboratory research experience
• Ability to write scientific reports, grants and manuscripts independently

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in a related scientific discipline
• Previous experience with rodent handling and surgical techniques

Baylor College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Equal Access Employer.