Laboratory Research Assistant

Job Posting Title:

Laboratory Research Assistant

Hiring Department:

Department of Marine Science

Position Open To:

All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt

Earliest Start Date:

Jan 05, 2026

Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Jul 31, 2026

Location:

MARINE SCIENCE INSTITUTE

Job Details:

General Notes

This position will be located in Port Aransas, Texas. Only applicants authorized to work in the United States will be considered.

The goal of the overall project is to investigate the importance of intertidal mangroves on the Texas coast as sources of atmospheric methane. The main goal of this position is to determine where in association with mangrove plants (e.g., within mangrove tissue, surrounding mangrove soils) microbial methane production takes place.

Responsibilities

• Conduct multi-disciplinary field work to study the coastal methane cycle.
• Extract DNA and RNA from mangrove tissue and mangrove soil.
• Quantify populations of methane-cycling microorganisms using real-time PCR.
• Perform metabarcoding and DNA sequence analyses of methane-cycling microbial populations in mangrove tissue and mangrove soil
• Analysis of stable carbon isotopic compositions of methane and other carbon compounds present in environmental samples.
  
  
  

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Prior experience in the extraction of DNA or RNA.
• Prior experience in the analysis of DNA sequences.
• Prior experience using R or other programming language(s) (e.g. Matlab, Python, Linux).
• Basic organizational and computer skills (MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Ability to work in a team of researchers with various backgrounds.
• Basic swimming skills.
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in marine, biological, or environmental science, or environmental engineering.
• Prior experience in the phylogenetic analysis of DNA or RNA sequences from complex environmental samples.
• Prior experience in the bioinformatic analysis of metabarcoded DNA or RNA sequences from complex environmental samples.
• Prior experience doing field work.
  
  
  

Driving Required

This job requires a class "C" operator's driver's license. The applicant selected must provide a current three-year driving record from the current state of residence. Employees who are required to have a CDL are subject to drug and alcohol testing (pre-employment, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, random, return-to-duty, and follow-up drug and alcohol testing).

Salary Range

$31,200

Working Conditions

• May work in all weather conditions.
• May work in extreme temperatures.
• May work around chemical fumes.
• May work around standard office conditions.
• May work around chemicals.
• May work around electrical and mechanical hazards
• Will work in up to 15-ft deep estuarine waters driving small research boats
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.
• Use of manual dexterity.
• Climbing of stairs.
• Lifting and moving.
  
  
  

Required Materials

• Letter of interest
• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
  
  
  

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker

Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above

Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.