Postbac Research Assistant (TEMPORARY)

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Our unique mission, deeply rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, provides countless ways to serve and make an impact. This, along with our remarkable culture of belonging, weekly devotionals, and endless opportunities for learning and growth—all situated within a beautiful and historic campus—make it hard to imagine a more inspiring place to work.

Brigham Young University strongly prefers to hire faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Job Description

Postbac Research Assistant (TEMPORARY)

Lead a research project analyzing the biological value of Antarctic soil samples using 16S amplicon sequencing, requiring advanced bioinformatics, data integration, and interpretation. This position will complete analyses, finalize datasets, and prepare a manuscript and NSF proposal, ensuring continuity for this high-impact collaboration.

What You’ll Do In This Position

• Perform bioinformatics processing and analysis of 165 amplicon sequence data, including quality control, taxonomic assignment, diversity analyses, and data visualization.
• Integrate biological, spatial, and metadata associated with Polar Rock Repository soil samples to interpret ecological and evolutionary patterns in Antarctic soil communities.
• Generate analytical outputs needed for manuscript preparation, including figures, tables, methods descriptions, and preliminary interpretations.
• Maintain dear, reproducible documentation of workflows, code, and results to support publication, collaboration with the PRR team, and future proposal development.
  
  

Required

What qualifies you for this role:

• Completion of a bachelor's degree in biology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, or a closely related field by December of this year.
• At least one year of hands-on research experience involving molecular, ecological, or computational biology, with preference for applicants who have sustained involvement in a research lab.
• Demonstrated experience working with DNA sequence data, R or Python, and basic bioinformatics tools for microbial community analysis.
• Ability to follow established analytical workflows and document code, results, and methods clearly and reproducibly.
• Strong organizational skills and the capacity to work independently while contributing to a collaborative team environment.
• No specific licenses or certifications are required, but completion of BYU's laboratory safety training modules (or willingness to complete them promptly upon hiring) is essential.
  
  

Preferred

• Prior research experience specifically in microbial ecology, Antarctic science, or environmental genomics.
• Proficiency with amplicon sequencing workflows, including DADA2, QIIME2, phyloseq, or comparable analysis pipelines.
• Experience managing and interpreting complex ecological datasets, including metadata integration and multivariate statistical analysis.
• Familiarity with version control platforms (e.g., GitHub) and reproducible research practices.
• Strong scientific writing skills demonstrated through contributions to manuscripts, reports, or research abstracts.
• Ability to translate analytical results into clear visualizations that support publication-quality figures.
• Demonstrated initiative in independently solving computational or analytical problems.
• Prior collaboration with external partners or institutions on research projects.
• A desire to pursue graduate work or a career in research, strengthening continuity and long-term contribution to the field.
  
  

Application Deadline: Wednesday, December 17th at 12 AM

What We Offer In Return

This position comes with fantastic benefits, including:

• Employee assistance program, available to the employee and all members of their household
• Access to the library
• Free on-campus parking
• Free UTA pass
• Discounts at the BYU Store and for many events at BYU
  
  

Pay Grade: 45

Typical Starting Pay: $15.50 to $19.25 an hour

Required Documents

All Staff positions require a resume.

Refer to the Job Posting for any additional required documents.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must hold and be worthy to hold a current temple recommend.

Brigham Young University is an equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veteran status.

Brigham Young University (BYU) is widely recognized not just for its world-class education, but for its deep commitment to inspired religious values. Gathered together in a Christ-centered atmosphere, BYU employees are a vital part of a community of belonging, where we value the experiences, perspectives, and talents of each individual. If you share in our devotion to faith and to excellence, we have a place for you here at BYU!