RESEARCH AIDE 2 (FIXED DURATION/TEMPORARY)

The University of Washington (UW) is proud to be one of the nation’s premier educational and research institutions. Our people are the most important asset in our pursuit of achieving excellence in education, research, and community service. Our staff not only enjoys outstanding benefits and professional growth opportunities, but also an environment noted for diversity, community involvement, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.

At the University of Washington, diversity is integral to excellence. We value and honor diverse experiences and perspectives, strive to create welcoming and respectful learning environments, and promote access, opportunity and justice for all.

The College of the Environment's Friday Harbor Laboratories has an outstanding opportunity open for a Temporary Research Aide 2.

This six-month research aide position at Friday Harbor Laboratories is part of a project investigating the environmental stressors contributing to kelp forest declines in Washington state.

Kelp forest ecosystems have declined in some areas of the Salish Sea, including Puget Sound, which may be linked to the changing ocean environment. These environmental changes include increased water temperatures and decreased inorganic nitrogen levels, among others. This project aims to determine the effects of environmental stressors on the physiology and reproductive success of bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana . Temperature-controlled experiments will be used to examine the thresholds for heat stress and nitrogen limitation across the life cycle of bull kelp. Experiments will be conducted with gametophytes cultured in the lab from different populations, and with adult kelp sporophytes collected in the field.

Location: The position is based at Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island, the marine field station of the University of Washington. The research technician is expected to live on the island to participate in experimental work, and accommodations at the field station are available. Located approximately 80 miles north of Seattle, the San Juan Islands are a beautiful archipelago accessible via ferry. Friday Harbor labs hosts a vibrant community of marine scientists spanning many disciplines, from invertebrate and fish biology to oceanography. Many resident scientists, professors, postdoctoral researchers, and students live and work at the field station.

Project advising team: Dr. Brooke Weigel (Postdoctoral Researcher, Friday Harbor Labs), Dr. Megan Dethier (Director, Friday Harbor Labs)

Responsibilities:

• Perform lab-based experiments growing kelp gametophytes across a range of conditions
• Maintain kelp gametophyte cultures and carry out microscopy-based measurements
• Quantitative analysis of microscope photos on the computer
• Assist with temperature-controlled experiments to examine the effects of multiple environmental stressors on bull kelp physiology
• Potentially assist with field-based research projects and collections in the Salish Sea

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree in science; OR two years of college-level work in science plus two years of experience equivalent to Research Aide I, OR four years of experience equivalent to Research Aide I.

Desired skills and qualifications:

• Comfortable working with microscopes, basic lab and pipetting skills, culturing media preparation, autoclaving, working with seawater tanks
• Experience doing fieldwork, comfortable around water and working from boats, including potentially driving a boat (can get certified to drive boats on site)
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail are essential
• Computer skills: image analysis using ImageJ, basic data organization in excel
• Capacity to communicate effectively, adapt to the evolving nature of lab and field-based research projects
• Cold-water snorkeling or SCUBA diving experience is an asset, but not required.

Application Process:

The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter, and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.