Laboratory Manager

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

Employment in this role may be contingent upon extramural funding and successful performance and may be terminated or reduced in percentage of appointment if such funding is not secured or ceases to be available.

Job Summary

The Laboratory Manager is responsible for overseeing and coordinating day-to-day laboratory operations for a translational maternal-child health, immunology, infectious disease, and placental biology research laboratory. The laboratory conducts studies focused on maternal stress and adversity, social determinants of health, placental and fetal immune development, maternal infection, vaccine-related research, and mechanisms that influence maternal and infant health outcomes. This position will provide operational, technical, and organizational leadership to support multiple active research projects. The Laboratory Manager will coordinate laboratory workflows, supervise and support laboratory personnel and trainees, support clinical specimen processing and tracking, maintain research protocols and standard operating procedures, assist with training students and staff, ensure laboratory safety and compliance, and support the efficient execution of molecular, cellular, immunologic, and translational research activities. The Laboratory Manager will work closely with the Principal Investigator, research faculty, postdoctoral fellows, students, clinical research staff, and collaborators to ensure high-quality laboratory operations and continuity across projects.

Key Responsibilities

Laboratory Operations & Oversight

• Manage daily laboratory operations to ensure organization, safety, efficiency, and continuity across multiple research projects.

• Coordinate laboratory schedules, experimental workflows, sample processing timelines, and staff assignments.

• Maintain laboratory inventory, including reagents, consumables, equipment, and supplies.

• Coordinate procurement, ordering, receiving, and tracking of laboratory materials.

• Maintain laboratory equipment and coordinate service, calibration, repair, and preventive maintenance as needed.

• Support budget tracking related to laboratory supplies, equipment, core services, and project-specific laboratory expenses.

• Ensure that laboratory space, equipment, and supplies are maintained in a clean, safe, and organized manner.

Biospecimen Processing and Sample Management

• Oversee processing, aliquoting, labeling, storage, and tracking of human biospecimens.

• Maintain accurate biospecimen inventories and sample tracking databases.

• Coordinate specimen transfer, shipment, and receipt with clinical research teams, collaborators, institutional cores, and external vendors.

• Ensure proper storage conditions, chain-of-custody documentation, freezer organization, and sample integrity.

Technical Training & Protocol Development

• Train laboratory staff, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduate students, and research trainees in laboratory techniques, specimen processing, safety procedures, documentation, and quality control.

• Develop, revise, and maintain standard operating procedures for laboratory workflows, sample processing, molecular assays, cell culture, data documentation, and safety practices.

• Provide technical guidance and troubleshooting support to research team members.

• Promote reproducibility, rigor, and consistency across experimental workflows.

• Support onboarding and orientation of new laboratory personnel.

Molecular, Cellular, and Immunologic Assays

• Support and perform laboratory assays relevant to maternal-child health, placental biology, immunology, and infectious disease research.

• Maintain detailed experimental records and ensure accurate documentation of protocols, sample identifiers, assay conditions, and results.

Clinical and Translational Research Support

• Coordinate laboratory workflows that support clinical and translational research studies involving pregnant, postpartum, infant, pediatric, or community-based populations.

• Work collaboratively with clinical research coordinators and study teams to align specimen collection, processing, and storage procedures with study protocols.

• Assist with tracking project milestones, laboratory deliverables, sample availability, assay completion, and data readiness.

Compliance, Safety, and Documentation

• Ensure compliance with institutional biosafety policies, laboratory safety requirements, human subjects research protocols, IRB-related procedures, and applicable federal and institutional regulations.

• Maintain laboratory safety documentation, training records, SOPs, equipment records, reagent logs, and biospecimen documentation.

• Ensure proper use of personal protective equipment, biological safety cabinets, chemical storage, waste disposal, and biospecimen handling procedures.

Data Management and Quality Control

• Maintain organized records of laboratory experiments, assay results, biospecimen inventories, and project-specific datasets.

• Assist with preparation of data summaries, figures, tables, reports, grant progress updates, abstracts, presentations, and manuscripts.

Team Coordination and Collaboration

• Serve as a key point of contact for laboratory operations and coordination across research team members.

• Support collaborative research activities across maternal-child health, immunology, infectious disease, vaccine, placental biology, and health disparities research programs.

• Promote a professional, organized, collaborative, and productive laboratory environment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of laboratory operations, research workflows, and biospecimen management.

• Experience processing and managing human biospecimens, including blood, placenta, cord blood, PBMCs, CBMCs, plasma, serum, and tissue.

• Proficiency in molecular and immunologic laboratory techniques.

• Familiarity with sequencing-related sample preparation, transcriptomics, epigenomics, single-cell, spatial transcriptomics, or other omics workflows.

• Strong understanding of biosafety procedures, laboratory safety practices, and institutional compliance requirements.

• Ability to develop, implement, and maintain SOPs and quality control procedures.

• Ability to train and supervise students, trainees, and laboratory personnel.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Ability to manage multiple projects, timelines, priorities, and laboratory workflows simultaneously.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to troubleshoot technical problems and improve laboratory processes.

• Ability to work independently while also contributing effectively to a collaborative research team.

• Commitment to rigorous, reproducible, ethical, and high-quality research.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree. In lieu of educational requirements, experience may be substituted on a 2:1 ratio (2 years of experience for each year of education).

Experience: Minimum 5 years of hands-on laboratory research experience in biomedical, translational, immunology, infectious disease, maternal-child health, or related research.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in biomedical sciences, microbiology, immunology, molecular biology, public health, epidemiology, or a related field. Prior experience managing laboratory operations, research staff, students, or trainees.

Closing Date

12/24/2026

Open Until Filled

No

Special Instructions to Applicants

Employment in this role may be contingent upon extramural funding and successful performance and may be terminated or reduced in percentage of appointment if such funding is not secured or ceases to be available.

Quick Link

https://careers.msm.edu/postings/24603

EEO Statement Summary

Morehouse School of Medicine is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Georgia State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Morehouse School of Medicine does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.

Job Duties

Pre-Employment/Employment Requirements

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of all pre-employment screenings.

Immunization

Immunization Requirements

It is MSM’s Immunization policy that all Prospective Employees are encouraged to provide proof that they are vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to commencement of employment. If employment will commence during Flu Season, MSM requires all individuals to provide proof that they are vaccinated against Seasonal Influenza for the current Flu Season, unless granted an exemption. Failure to provide proof of vaccination for any required vaccines or obtain an exemption from MSM will result in rescission of a candidate’s offer of employment or disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Posting Specific Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

• Curriculum Vitae or Resume

Optional Documents

• Cover Letter