Research Technician Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University
Responsibilities: The research technician will be based in the Department of Biological Sciences at FSU in Tallahassee, Florida, supervised by Dr. Andrew Rassweiler, but will also work closely with Dr. Sarah Lester in FSU’s Department of Geography. The technician will help support an exciting portfolio of projects focused on the topics of marine biodiversity, coral reef resilience, ecological state change, marine spatial planning, and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. Research in the lab is inherently interdisciplinary, focusing on addressing fundamental questions in marine ecology, but also on applying those insights to conservation and management. The position includes a broad diversity of responsibilities and the ideal candidate is excited to participate in a range of research activities. The initial focus of the position will be on measuring marine biodiversity as part of a multi-institution Marine Biodiversity Observing Network project (http://sbc.marinebon.org/about/). For this project, the technician will help to develop a tradeoff framework to estimate costs and benefits of alternative sampling methods and guide decisions about the design of future monitoring. The technician will work with ecological data from diverse sources, and will participate in the development of cutting-edge techniques for biodiversity monitoring. In addition to this focal project, there will be opportunities to engage in other research projects in the lab, including field work. The research technician will be expected to: - Assist with data acquisition, management, processing, and analysis of large disparate datasets. - Help with parameterizing and running simulation models. - Conduct literature reviews and assist with preparing scientific manuscripts and presentations, with the potential to be involved as a co-author on papers. - Assist with managing the lab, including purchasing supplies and equipment, organizing the lab, coordinating lab logistics, and recruiting and coordinating undergraduate research assistants. - Participate in local marine fieldwork in coastal, intertidal and possibly subtidal habitats. Qualifications: Required: - Bachelors or Masters degree in Marine Science, Ecology, Environmental Science, or related field. - Strong quantitative and statistical skills and/or interest in developing those skills - Experience with programming or scripted analysis in programs such as R, SAS, Matlab or similar. - Strong skills in data acquisition and management. - Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently - Strong initiative and problem-solving skills Preferred (but not required): AAUS certification, experience operating small boats, proficiency with GIS. Terms: Ideally the position would start in September 2017, but start date is flexible. Initial appointment would be for one year, with strong potential for renewal contingent on performance. Salary commensurate with experience. How to apply: Apply by submitting a cover letter, CV, and names and contact information for three professional references as a single PDF to rasster....@gmail.com. Contact Dr. Andrew Rassweiler at rasswei...@bio.fsu.edu with any questions. This position will remain open until filled. Application review will begin on July 15, 2017, although all applications received before August 1 will be considered.
