Research Scientist/Engineer Assistant

About the Role

The Department of Biology at the University of Washington has an outstanding opportunity for a Research Scientist/Engineer Assistant to join their team.

Key Responsibilities

• RESEARCH / PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION (50%)

• Field data collection on plants, pollinators, and plant-pollinator interactions.

• Identification and curation of insect and plant specimens.

• Molecular biology techniques: DNA extraction, amplification, and sequencing prep.

• Data and database management, cleaning, and wrangling.

• Participation in laboratory meetings.

• Additional activities may include:

• Maintaining and conducting behavioral experiments with live pollinators (occasionally during non-standard hours).

• Data analysis.

• Scientific literature searching and synthesis.

• Molecular biology work (DNA metabarcoding; flow cytometry) and bioinformatics.

• Scientific writing and editing.

• Poster and talk development.

• Computational and/or mathematical modeling.

• Relevant learning and training activities.

• PROJECT MANAGEMENT (30%)

• Developing and tracking project timelines and deliverables.

• Managing volunteers, including trainings.

• Managing the lab calendar, safety/EHSO compliance, website, and social media.

• Ordering supplies.

• Organizing lab meetings and communications.

• Coordinating with research collaborators.

• Planning field logistics (permits, field station/lodging, vehicles, travel authorizations).

• Supporting scientific paper submission.

• Managing GitHub projects and data repositories.

• Contributing to grant proposal development (COI lists, forms, submissions) and agency reporting.

• Contributing to budget management and reimbursements.

• Maintaining equipment, supply, and sample inventories.

• Maintaining tidiness of laboratory and research spaces.

• UNDERGRADUATE SUPERVISION & MENTORSHIP (15%)

• Instructing and supervising undergraduates in data collection and processing.

• Scheduling undergraduate research time.

• Tracking contact information and schedules.

• Developing and carrying out professional development activities (e.g., paper discussions, career development).

• Maintaining positive, open professional relationships with laboratory undergraduates.

• RESEARCH OUTREACH (5%)

• Maintain and contribute to a portfolio of outreach materials and activities.

• Coordinate outreach with lab members.

• Participate in outreach activities (typically off-site, occasionally during non-standard hours).

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Environmental Science, or related area.
• Less than one year of relevant experience in ecological field/lab research; data entry, management, and analysis.
• Additional Qualifications:
• Ability to hike 7+ miles at 9,000+ ft elevation on steep and uneven terrain carrying loads of up to 40 pounds.
• Experience in supervising others (particularly undergraduates).
• Sufficient background to quickly learn molecular biology techniques used in DNA barcoding/metabarcoding.
• Preferred Qualifications:
• HIGHLY DESIRED: Basic proficiency with spreadsheets and the R programming language.
• OTHER DESIRED:
• Field ecological data collection and/or plant and insect identification in the montane Western US.
• Experience collecting plant-pollinator network data.
• Hands-on experience with plant reproductive biology.
• Basic molecular biology techniques.
• Scientific manuscript and poster development.
• GitHub experience.
• Advanced R and/or other programming skills.

Compensation & Details

• Pay Range Minimum: $52,692.00 annual
• Pay Range Maximum: $63,000.00 annual
• Shift: First Shift
• FTE: 100.00%
• Union/Bargaining Unit: UAW Research