Job Description
Introduction
The Outreach and Research Programme of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health has ten community-based field sites across Pakistan (including four in Karachi) and focuses on research for betterment of women and child health. The Department has a Nutritional Research Laboratory as well as an Infectious Disease Research Laboratory that cater to the needs of its research projects. It has well-acclaimed work to its credit both at the national and international level.
As an equal opportunity employer, AKU believes in promoting a diverse and inclusive culture and is committed to adopt appropriate standards for safeguarding and promoting a respectful relationship with and between diverse workforce of its faculty, staff, trainees, volunteers, beneficiaries, wider communities, and other stakeholders with whom it works, including children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees/trainees and partners to share this commitment.
Responsibilities
You will be responsible to:
- orient and supervise employees to their responsibilities and the function of the laboratorycheck and transfers Project data to Data Management Unit (DMU) as necessary and take steps to correct possibly inaccurate data prior to continued processing
- make personnel shifts when necessary to accommodate fluctuating workload
- provided expert supervision and direction to ensure smooth operations Research Laboratory for collecting of samples at field sites Research Labs
- prepare specifications and justifications, and participate in the procurement of laboratory Consumables and Equipment
- provides troubleshooting of Analytical laboratory instrumentation and methodologies, and interact with Engineers from the Company Manufacturer regarding application and technical assistance
- oversee the shipping of project samples to outside or inter Country for further testing as per the Granting agencies requirement
- monitor specimen processing, instrument maintenance, and maintaining External Quality Control and Quality Assurance (QA/QC) with the Reference laboratories outside the country
- ensure that QA/QC Records of all Lab Assays are maintained properly
- maintain the Equipment Inventory sheet for all equipment placed on campus and off campus Labs
- provide a monthly work plan and feedback report to the Manager Research Labs
- prepare Monthly Duty Roaster for Lab Employees
- prepare Monthly Lab Invoices to be submitted to the Finance for charging to respective grants
- prepare Monthly Lab Consumable Inventory order sheet for Off campus Labs
- enforce occupational health and safety procedures and ensure that such procedures are followed by all the lab staff and consult with the Lab Manger about these issues
- provide refresher training regarding Laboratory protocols for the on-site laboratory staff in coordination with Project Supervisors
- develop, optimize and implementation of laboratory protocols to meet the requirement of Granting Agencies
Requirement
You should have:
- MSc or MPhil degree in biological sciences or relevant field
- at least 5 years of experience in a Research Laboratory setting
- excellent laboratory research experience, proficiency in installation and configuration of lab equipment, software’s and trouble shooting
- experience in both independent and team laboratory research with application in a variety of fields, sound knowledge of biological specimen collection, Biosafety protocols, processing and shipping of biological specimens as per IATA guidelines. Can easily interpret the lab in-house and external QC/QA
- excellent Communication and Supervisory skills
- good language skills in Urdu and English (both written and verbal)
- resilience and ability to cope up with work pressure
- proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
