Seasonal Ecology Research Field/Lab Tech

Monday - Friday, varying from 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM to 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

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The Department of Biology at UNC-Chapel Hill is dedicated to the discovery and dissemination of new and existing knowledge in the broad discipline of Biology by maintaining a high-quality faculty who integrate cutting-edge research and student-focused teaching.

We are one of the largest academic departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. We have over 3,450 majors and we enroll undergraduate students in over 7,870 seats in our classes each semester. Each fall or spring semester, we offer 52 classes (70 sections) and 13 lab courses (93 sections). Our average total annual expenditure exceeds $24 million, with nearly half of that coming from grant sponsored research. Our department has nearly $70 million in active grants to support our twin missions of research and teaching. Our large research base spans many areas of biology and supports several outstanding graduate programs. We consist of 48 tenure-track faculty, 12 teaching faculty, 5 research faculty, and numerous active adjunct and emeritus faculty who are engaged in basic and interdisciplinary research and teaching, both within the department and between other departments and schools at UNC.

We currently have 50 graduate students and 30 post-docs and employ approximately 85 additional graduate and undergraduate students from across the university to assist in our teaching and research missions. Further, we are supported by an administrative staff of 20, with an additional 20 staff directly supporting research.

Assist with research on plant disease ecology in field and lab settings. The research technician will work on a grant-funded project examining how seasonal epidemics of infectious diseases are influenced by both climatic variables and ecological interactions among microbial species. Specific duties include extensive vegetation surveys of foliar fungal pathogens, management of data collected from surveys, collection of plant and fungal samples from the field, culturing and archiving of fungal pathogens from infected plant material, working on greenhouse inoculation protocols, extracting DNA from cultured fungal samples, and assisting other lab members with additional projects. The research technician should be able to 1) work independently under minimal supervision and with other team members, 2) work accurately and efficiently, and 3) maintain exceptional communication skills with the research team over the course of daily activities.

Demonstrated possession of the competencies necessary to perform the work.

Willingness and ability to work early mornings and outdoors daily in the summer is required, in addition to familiarity with general research procedures. The capacity to communicate and work well with others as a team is also essential. Employees must be able to secure transportation to an off-campus field site (Duke Forest) on a daily basis, in addition to working at the on-campus lab when necessary. Previous experience working with plant diseases is not required - training on identification of foliar pathogens and particular methods in the study system will be provided.

Some course work in a relevant field, including ecology, biology, and environmental science. Experience conducting ecological research, especially in the field. Demonstrated experience working in outdoor conditions for extended periods of time is a plus.

Capacity and willingness to conduct outdoor field work during the daytime hours of summer. Field work will involve long periods of time spent kneeling into tall vegetation for surveys. Work is expected to be continued through periods of inclement weather (i.e. rain) that do not pose a health risk. Duties to be performed with or without reasonable accommodation.

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Please note: The Office of Human Resources will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

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