Research, Technical Assistant
Posted Sep 24, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Have you ever kept live animals or insect cultures going? What did a typical day of care look like?
What they are checking: Whether they can reliably maintain Chironomus cultures, since the lab's experiments depend on healthy midge colonies every day.
Tell me about a time you had to follow a set of instructions very exactly. How did you make sure you got it right?
What they are checking: Whether they can follow lab procedures carefully under direct supervision without skipping steps.
What interests you about working in a biology lab that studies how animals develop and evolve?
What they are checking: Whether they have real curiosity about the work, which keeps people careful during repetitive daily tasks.
What would you do
How would you make sure you never miss a feeding or water change, even on a busy day?
What they are checking: Whether they build routines and checklists, because a missed step can wipe out cultures that took months to build.
You notice something looks different about the cultures today, but you're not sure if it matters. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they speak up early about unusual observations instead of assuming it is nothing.
You made a mistake while entering data and only noticed it a week later. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they report and fix their own errors honestly, which protects the integrity of the lab's research.
About the work
How comfortable are you working with a microscope and handling very small, delicate samples like embryos?
What they are checking: Whether they have the steady hands and patience that collecting data from midge embryos requires.
How do you record data so that someone else can understand it later?
What they are checking: Whether they keep clear, dated records, since the lab's analysis depends on the data they collect and enter.
What spreadsheet or data entry tools have you used, and how accurate do you tend to be?
What they are checking: Whether they can enter data accurately and help with basic analysis as the posting describes.
What do you know about lab safety rules, and why do you think they matter?
What they are checking: Whether they understand and respect the safety and regulatory rules that come with any research lab job.
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As published by University of Chicago.