I need a DC area lab automation consultant to join a team developing
a stand-alone biodetector system for Homeland Security.

The team, which is headed by ITT Industries, Advanced Engineering
and Sciences in Alexandria, already includes laboratory groups from
the US Army Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center, Aberdeen, MD,
and two high-tech biodetector companies in San Diego.

Part of the instrument design involves the automated manipulation of
96-well microtiter plates.

We anticipate using a 30-plate stack, with a 'gripper' type of robot
removing and placing the plate on an X-Y stage for analysis.
Subsequent to analysis, the plate would either be returned to the
stack (preferred) or placed into a 'discard' stack.

This is not a high speed operation, and the components will
eventually be placed into some sort of a "box" in an outdoor
setting, for continuous monitoring of the environment for
evidence of a bioterrorist attack.

There will also be some liquid handling work, moving a solution from
an aerosol sampler and aliquoting to a 96-well plate.

The candidate should be in the DC area, and be able to meet with us
once or twice in the next two weeks.

Also, Homeland Security has a requirement that the consultant be
a "non-traditional" contractor. That means that you (or your firm)
cannot have had a contract with the government in the last year of
over $500,000.

Let me know of your interest by email: [email protected]

Thanks,

George Robertson