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Rodent Surgery Researcher Jobs (NOW HIRING)

... rodent surgical procedures, and conduct them independently; assure compliance with all state and federal research guideline, as well as experimental protocols and SOPs; responsible for the overall ...

Laboratory Animal Veterinarian

Indianapolis, IN ยท On-site

$126K - $204K/yr

Provide guidance on rodent surgical models (e.g., cannulation, tumor implantation, metabolic models) * Work closely with research scientists in the development and implementation of animal models

Showing results 21-40

Rodent Surgery Researcher information

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$30K

$113.1K

$164.5K

How much do rodent surgery researcher jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 3, 2026, the average yearly pay for rodent surgery researcher in the United States is $113,102.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $67,000.00 and $154,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a rodent surgery researcher?

A Rodent Surgery Researcher is a scientific professional who specializes in performing surgical procedures on rodents, such as mice and rats, for biomedical research purposes. These researchers are responsible for designing experiments, conducting surgeries with strict adherence to ethical and regulatory standards, and ensuring the welfare of the animals. Their work supports studies in areas like neuroscience, genetics, pharmacology, and disease modeling. Rodent Surgery Researchers often collaborate with other scientists, maintain detailed records, and may also train others in surgical techniques.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a rodent surgery researcher?

To thrive as a Rodent Surgery Researcher, you need a solid background in animal science or biomedical research, proficiency in aseptic surgical techniques, and often a relevant degree such as a BSc or MSc in a life science field. Familiarity with laboratory animal care protocols, use of surgical instruments, and compliance with Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) guidelines are typically required, alongside certifications like ALAT or LAT. Attention to detail, manual dexterity, strong organizational skills, and effective teamwork are essential soft skills for success in this role. These skills ensure the welfare of research animals, the accuracy of experimental results, and compliance with ethical and regulatory standards.

What are some common challenges faced by rodent surgery researchers and how are they addressed in a laboratory setting?

Rodent surgery researchers often encounter challenges such as maintaining strict aseptic technique, ensuring precise and reproducible surgical procedures, and minimizing animal stress and post-operative complications. These challenges are addressed through comprehensive training, adherence to detailed protocols, and close collaboration with veterinary staff. Laboratories typically provide regular workshops, access to specialized equipment, and foster a team environment where researchers can share best practices and troubleshoot issues together, ensuring both animal welfare and research integrity.

What is the difference between Rodent Surgery Researcher vs Laboratory Animal Technician?

AspectRodent Surgery ResearcherLaboratory Animal Technician
CredentialsVeterinary or research-related certifications, surgical trainingAnimal care certifications, laboratory animal technician credentials
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, surgical suites, academic institutionsAnimal facilities, research institutions, laboratories
Job FocusPerforming surgeries, experimental procedures on rodentsAnimal husbandry, daily care, and monitoring of laboratory animals

While both roles involve working with laboratory rodents, the Rodent Surgery Researcher specializes in performing surgical procedures and experimental interventions, requiring surgical skills and related certifications. In contrast, the Laboratory Animal Technician focuses on daily animal care, monitoring, and maintaining animal health. Both roles are essential in research settings but differ in their primary responsibilities and skill requirements.

More about Rodent Surgery Researcher jobs

What cities are hiring for Rodent Surgery Researcher jobs?

Cities with the most Rodent Surgery Researcher job openings:

What states have the most Rodent Surgery Researcher jobs?

States with the most job openings for Rodent Surgery Researcher jobs include:

Infographic showing various Rodent Surgery Researcher job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Locum Tenens, 3% As Needed, 81% Full Time, 10% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $113,102 per year, or $54.4 per hour.

$66K - $75K/yr

Full-time

Retirement

Re-posted 5 days ago


Job description

Job Title: Postdoctoral Researcher

Grade: 18

Salary: $66,227-$75,827

The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene is seeking a qualified candidate to fill a full-time Postdoctoral Researcher position. The Anacker lab at the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) is looking for a highly motivated, independent full-time postdoctoral researcher to use in vivo brain imaging techniques in rodent models to investigate neural circuits underlying vulnerability and resilience to stress. The postdoctoral researcher will use mouse models of social stress and early life adversity in combination with circuit tracing techniques, optogenetic and chemogenetic (DREADDs) techniques to inhibit or activate defined neural projections, in vivo Ca2+ imaging of neural activity and biosensors to visualize neurotransmitter changes in defined brain regions in freely moving mice during fear generalization and cognitive flexibility tasks.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Daily tasks and responsibilities include:

  • Stereotaxic surgeries for virus injection and fiber implantation into the mouse brain, mouse behavioral experiments using behavioral tasks of fear generalization and cognitive flexibility, optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulation of neural circuits in freely moving mice, in vivo Ca2+ imaging of neural activity and neurotransmitter release in the mouse brain during behavior tasks, transgenic moue colony maintenance and genotyping, immunohistochemistry, and fluorescent microscopy.
  • Independently conduct these daily tasks and use advanced data analysis tools in MATLAB or Python to analyze in vivo imaging data.
  • Contribute to project development from conceptual framing of the project to conducting the required experiments, analyzing data, presenting the scientific findings at conferences and publishing the findings in a scientific journal.
  • Specific skills required for these tasks include a high level of motivation and organization, experience with rodent behavior tasks and stereotaxic surgeries for virus injections and/or fiber implantations into the mouse brain, and analytic skills using basic statistical software (SPSS, R, GraphPad) and knowledge of MATLAB or Python.
  • The researcher will be embedded in a highly collegial and collaborative environment in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI).

Minimum Qualifications:

  • PhD in neuroscience or related field
  • At least (2) or more years of experience working with rodents

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with rodent stereotactic brain surgery for virus injection and/or implantation surgeries
  • More than (1) year of experience using either optogenetic or in vivo imaging techniques in rodent brain
  • Basic skills in using MATLAB or Python for data analysis of in vivo imaging data
  • Basic skills in R to analyze RNA sequencing data

Work Location: 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032

To Apply: Submit an application through our website at https://rfmh.applicantpro.com/jobs/. Please note only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

The Mission of the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc. (RFMH) is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a focus on providing hope and supporting recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Applicants with lived mental health experience are encouraged to apply. RFMH is deeply committed to supporting underserved individuals, organizations, and communities. To this end, RFMH is focused on implementing activities and initiatives to reduce disparities in access, quality, and treatment outcomes for underserved populations. A critical component of these efforts is ensuring that RFMH is a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees' unique attributes and skills are valued and utilized to support the mission of the Agency. RFMH is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

The Research Foundation is a private not-for-profit corporation and is not an agency or instrumentality of the State of New York. Employees of the Research Foundation are not state employees, do not participate in any state retirement system, and do not receive state fringe benefits. Excellent Benefits Package. Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer - Disabled/Veteran, 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) compliant.