Thread by @MoriartyLab

OK, #Canadian scientists, #science students, science influencers, scientific societies, student & postdoc unions, and everyone else who may know someone w/ science postgraduate training

We (@COVID_19_Canada ) and the province of #Ontario really need your help...every one of you.

Ontario needs to hire and train hundreds of people to work in #COVID-19 testing labs. This needs to be done w/in 3 weeks.

We are fielding requests from multiple testing labs who need scientists w/ the following qualifications:

1. At least a Masters or scheduled to graduate soon

2. Available IMMEDIATELY (in the next 1-3 weeks) for full-time paid work for temporary short-term contracts (at least 6 months, renewable, very likely to be renewed)

3. Live w/in commute distance of an #Ontario testing lab (throughout the province) or willing to quickly relocate

4. Ideal qualifications but NOT essential for all roles:

a) BSL2 or higher training
b) experience w/ molecular lab work, PCR, RNA extraction

Candidates need enthusiasm, attention to detail, ability to switch tasks quickly, great team and record-keeping skills.

You also must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

If you're a postdoc, PhD grad, lab manager, research associate or anyone else with academic credentials beyond what is needed for lab testing, every minute you spend in this job will be important for someone's life.

If you need work right now and the job market in your area is tough due to COVID, this is a job that you can hold for 6-12 months or maybe more while the whole world gets through this. You will be part of teams working 24/7 (literally) on something incredibly important.

If all of these requirements fit your current situation, you live in #Ontario & you're interested in a job like this, here's what you have to do:

1. Sign up on the volunteer list @COVID_19_Canada (we're placing people for jobs now too) covid19resources.ca/Volunteer.html

2. Tell every single person you know who might be interested to sign up & give them the link.

We are starting to contact ppl in our database about the first round of asks from testing labs TOMORROW.

There will likely be hundreds of placement requests from labs in the next week.

We will prepare a document that you can send to all your contacts via email, social media, grad mailing lists, scientific societies, student & postdoc unions, research institutes, departments etc.

We'll post this tomorrow & start sending to universities for distribution.

For now, send ppl a link to this thread. Pls message @COVID_19_Canada if you're part of an org (informal or formal) that would like to distribute this info.

PPL need to be sent to lab HR departments, screened, hired, trained & in the lab in less than 3 wks. We have to move FAST.