HLI MRI Core Facility Technician

Job Category
Non Union Technicians and Research Assistants

Job Title
HLI MRI Core Facility Technician

Department
Center Operations staff tendersglobal.net UBC James Hogg Research Centre tendersglobal.net Faculty of Medicine

Posting End Date
January 23, 2024

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date
Jan 31, 2025

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 Centre for Heart Lung Innovation (HLI) is seeking a full-time research technician to support the pulmonary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research program and MRI Core facility (https://www.hli.ubc.ca/our-services/3t-mri/ ).

The research assistant will work primarily alongside the MRI Associate Director and within a multi-disciplinary team of physicians, scientists, research coordinators, imaging technologists, students and other hospital/research staff, to support MRI study components of a number of grant-funded clinical studies related to post-COVID-19 syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and other smoking-related lung conditions. Additional MRI studies expanding to other lung or heart diseases may begin at any time.

HLI is a UBC senate-approved Centre located within Providence Health Care’s St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver. The MRI Core at HLI was established in June 2021, with a focus on advanced imaging of patients with heart and lung disease. The facility houses a state-of-the-art 3.0T clinical MRI scanner and hyperpolarized 129Xe gas facility for functional imaging of the lungs. HLI is one of two centres in Vancouver and only five centres in Canada with hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI capabilities. To date, the MRI core operates four ongoing clinical studies and has amassed a pulmonary imaging registry including images from >280 research participants.

Organizational Status
The Centre for Heart Lung Innovation (HLI) is seeking a full-time research technician to support the pulmonary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research program and MRI Core facility (https://www.hli.ubc.ca/our-services/3t-mri/ ).
Work Performed

• Upon successful completion of training, operate 129Xe hyperpolarizer to prepare inhaled xenon gas contrast agent for clinical MRI studies

• Maintain equipment operational records and inventory of relevant laboratory supplies

• Perform confidential clinical data entry for MRI projects in electronic databases

• Perform and maintain imaging data back-up on electronic servers

• Perform quantitative image analysis using established analysis pipelines

Opportunity for further work such as participating directly in data analysis, development of image processing tools and other research projects, towards authorship/co-authorship on peer-reviewed publications, may be possible.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
The first person to evaluate the work will be the individual. If further assistance is needed the issue will be taken to the postdoctoral fellow or principal investigator. If an error has occurred, the individual in conjunction with the above listed people will think of the solution. The effect of the incorrect decision would be a delay in the work.
Supervision Received
Supervision Given
The Research Assistant may provide any supervision of staff at lower classifications. This may involve the training of research assistants or students.
Minimum Qualifications
High school graduation, some additional training in a related field and a minimum two years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Completion of a university degree in engineering, physics, health/life sciences or a relevant discipline, or a relevant technical program
• At least 4 months research experience in a relevant discipline
• Strong organizational, time management and record-keeping skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to learn new techniques and work independently

– Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
– Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion
Preferred Qualifications

Although specific on the job training will be provided and must be successfully completed for 129Xe hyperpolarizer operation and other MRI safety and image analysis aspects, the following skills would be considered assets that would accelerate transition into this role:

• Experience with MRI or other medical imaging modalities
• Experience with Matlab, Python, C or other programming languages
• Experience performing quantitative image analysis
• Experience with REDCap database use and/or management
• Experience writing and submitting research ethics board (REB) or Health Canada clinical study protocol applications