What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research Associate II position at Montana State University?
This position will work independently and as part of a team in the Thum Lab, studying the field of aquatic plant management and genetics. This position is the primary lead on a grant.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Be the primary lead on a grant including managing project objectives and deliverables, managing associated personnel, conducting all data collection and analyses, and leading project administration and dissemination.
- Work independently with minimal supervision.
- Travel within and outside of the state may be required for conference attendance.
- Apply chemical treatments such as herbicides and pesticides.
- Collaborate effectively to coordinate sample collection with stakeholders, state agencies and citizen scientists.
- Assist with hiring, training and mentoring students and laboratory personnel.
- Assist with report writing, manuscripts and presentations.
- Be the primary point of contact for laboratory organization and management, including inventory, ordering, lab safety, lab protocols, lab communication, and updating the website.
- Develop, maintain, and curate a publicly available database – MilfoilMapper.
- Lead one or more projects focusing on the development of efficient phenotyping assays for herbicide response, including increasing the number of watermilfoil strains with phenotype data in MilfoilMapper, and phenotyping for genetic mapping populations.
- Assist and lead molecular genetic work (e.g., nucleic acid extraction, strain/species identification, preparing samples for outsourced sequencing and genotyping).
- Assist with living plant culture, maintenance, and experimentation in the greenhouse (e.g., mapping populations, strain characterizations, etc.).
- Cataloging plants and keeping appropriate records of data.
Required Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills
- Master’s degree in plant sciences or plant genetics.
- Experience hiring, managing and supervising laboratory personnel.
- Proficient in laboratory bench work (e.g., nucleic acid extraction, strain/species. identification, preparing samples for outsourced sequencing and genotyping).
- Experience in designing, establishing and maintaining greenhouse herbicide assay experiments.
- Proficient with analyzing and scoring various types of genetic markers.
- Proficient experience with coding, app development, and statistical analysis methods using R.
- Proficient with conducting greenhouse experiments on aquatic plants.
- Proficient written and oral communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills
- Experience managing and being the primary lead on grants, including managing project objectives, deliverables and project reporting.
- 3 years of experience in the field of aquatic plant management and genetics.
The Successful Candidate Will
- Work independently and as part of a team environment.
- Highly effective interpersonal skills, including the ability to work cooperatively with research faculty, lab personnel, lake managers and state agencies.
- Be organized, pay attention to detail, meet deadlines and prioritize multiple projects.
- Present research results in front of colleagues.
Position Special Requirements/Additional Information
- May require work outside of traditional business hours when research protocols dictate (e.g., collecting PAM fluorometry data in the greenhouse at night).
- Must have the ability to occasional in and out of state travel will be required.
Physical Demands
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
This position has supervisory duties?
Yes
Posting Detail Information
Number of Vacancies
1
Desired Start Date
Position End Date (if temporary)
Open Date
Close Date
Applications will be:
Screening of applications will begin on January 6, 2026; however, applications will continue to be accepted until an adequate applicant pool has been established.
Special Instructions
This position is not eligible for new sponsorship.
EEO Statement
Montana State University is an equal opportunity employer. MSU does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class status in violation of any applicable law.
In compliance with the Montana Veteran’s Employment Preference Act, MSU provides preference in employment to veterans, disabled veterans, and certain eligible relatives of veterans. To claim veteran’s preference, please complete the veteran’s preference information located in the Demographics section of your profile.
In compliance with the Montana Veteran’s Employment Preference Act, MSU provides preference in employment to veterans, disabled veterans, and certain eligible relatives of veterans. To claim veteran’s preference, please complete the veteran’s preference information located in the Demographics section of your profile.