Staff - Non Union Job Category Non Union Technicians and Research Assistants Job Profile Non Union Salaried - Research Assistant /Technician 2 Job Title Research Assistant Department McAlpine Lab | Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology | Faculty of Medicine Compensation Range $4,597.80 - $5,469.59 CAD Monthly Posting End Date September 15, 2026 Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
Job End Date September 10, 2027 At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.
Job Summary The Research Assistant/Technician 2 supports data curation and specimen management activities across research studies within OVCARE and the AIM Lab, with a primary focus on the development of an integrated image database that combines digital histology images with longitudinal clinical, molecular, laboratory and patient-reported data. This database enables the development and validation of machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms for biomarker discovery and treatment selection in gynecologic cancer.
The incumbent performs a variety of moderately complex technical tasks related to specimen and image inventory management, data curation and quality control, and coordination of scanning, molecular and imaging work with core facility laboratories. Work is carried out using established techniques and protocols. Organizational Status OVCARE and the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative accelerate research on the prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship of gynecologic cancers, with the goal of reducing incidence, death and suffering by 50% by 2034.
The Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIM) Lab at OVCARE, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and UBC develops machine learning and AI algorithms and software that combine omics and imaging data to discover novel biological information and biomarkers. The incumbent reports to the Clinical Research Manager for performance management and overall priority setting, and receives work assignment and technical direction from the Data Manager.
Liaises regularly with core facility laboratory staff, research staff, trainees and clinical database custodians. Work Performed Under general supervision, and using established techniques and protocols, the incumbent: Maintains inventory of study cohorts, histology glass slides, tissue blocks and digital histology image files; records and tracks specimen and file location, status and movement using established tracking systems Curates primary data for study cohorts, including the assembly, compilation and summary of clinical, molecular, laboratory and imaging data for entry into the integrated image database according to established protocols Organizes histology image files and associated data files, applying standardized file naming conventions, folder structures and version control practices Retrieves physical histology glass slides and tissue blocks from archive storage and returns them to storage, following established handling, documentation and chain of custody procedures Coordinates with core facility laboratories to schedule the scanning of histology slides and to arrange molecular and imaging experiments; tracks requests, monitors turnaround, and follows up on outstanding or delayed items Executes established software scripts to clean and standardize data, including batch renaming of image files, and performs quality checking of image and data files against defined acceptance criteria Identifies discrepancies, missing records and data quality issues; resolves routine issues within established procedures and refers new or unusual problems to the supervisor Retrieves and abstracts inf