Repost Announcement of Position Availability at the Jornada Basin LTER
TITLE: Research Assistant, Grade-15 (Requisition #2006006855)
START DATE: September 25, 2006
SALARY: $25,292.80 Continued employment contingent upon federal funding
PREFER: The successful applicant will have a keen interest in plants
coupled with field experience in plant identification and the use of
dichotomous keys as well as soil characterization techniques. Other
preferred qualifications include knowledge of Chihuahuan Desert flora and
fauna, field experience with small mammals, practical experience with
electrical and mechanical maintenance of climatological and hydrological
instruments, and skill in the use of hand and power tools.
The selected individual will be flexible, able to enjoy working in the
field under high heat and sun exposure (as this is primarily a desert field
position), work reliably both independently and as part of a team, establish
and maintain effective working relationships with associates and principle
investigators, be comfortable working safely with moderately hazardous
materials, make sound judgments relative to analytical processes, recognize
the extreme accuracy and consistency essential to long term research,
assemble and record accurate data, follow detailed oral and/or written
instructions exactly, communicate well both verbally and in writing, and
have some supervisory skills. Acute attention to small details, enthusiasm,
and the ability to get along well with co-workers, supervisors, and
principle investigators are musts.
REQUIREMENTS: Driver's license.
QUALIFICATIONS: A Bachelor's degree in field of research applicable to the
position required.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Work is based out of New Mexico State University in Las
Cruces, NM. Individual will participate in the on-going and
multi-disciplinary Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)
program on desertification in the Chihuahuan Desert. Research disciplines
include hydrology (~20%), plant ecology (~25%), animal ecology (~9%), soils
(~20%), climatology (~5%), and aeolian studies (~5%). Approximately 85% of
the time will be spent outdoors collecting data, with the remaining 15% of
the time spent in the lab processing samples, cleaning equipment, and
checking data. Although the position is usually 40 hours a week, additional
hours will occasionally be required both during the week and on weekends.
Specific field responsibilities include extensive plant
identification and
measurements; soil characterization measurements, soil moisture
measurements using a neutron probe; collection of hydrology data and
frequent maintenance of hydrological equipment; maintenance of field
instruments, equipment, and infrastructure; and handling and identification
of small mammals. The position will entail manual labor such as routine
carrying of heavy instruments in the field for extended periods, maintaining
and fixing fences, and painting large structures, and could include tasks
like shrub removal, trenching, and soil coring. The individual will work
with a wide variety of taxa and will be required to learn identification of
all flora (~350 spp.) and selected fauna found in the research area.
General responsibilities include collecting and recording
moderately
complex data in both field and laboratory environments in accordance with
established protocols, data entry, maintaining organizational and historical
data for each study, aiding principle investigators with data collection and
experimental design (assisting with design, testing, and/or modification of
experimental equipment as well as installation of experimental apparatus).
For more information about the Jornada Basin LTER site and
general
research program, see http://jornada-www.nmsu.edu/.
BENEFITS: Group medical and hospital insurance, group life insurance, state
education retirement, worker's compensation, annual leave, sick leave, and
unemployment compensation.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Submit letter of application, resume, and 3
references by September 15, 2006. Electronic submissions must be in MS
WORD, Rich Test Format (RTF), or PDF. Other formats will not be accepted.
REPLY TO: John P. Anderson, Jornada LTER Site Manager
USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range Voice: 505-646-5818
P.O. Box 30003 Fax: 505-646-5889
MSC 3JER New Mexico State University Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Las Cruces, NM 88003-0001 [2995 Knox Street, Suite 200 for FedEx, etc.]
OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT CONTINGENT UPON VERIFICATION OF INDIVIDUAL'S ELIGIBILITY
FOR EMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES. NMSU IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT
PPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER.
