Research Engineering/Scientist Assistant

Job Posting Title:

Research Engineering/Scientist Assistant

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Hiring Department:

Department of Integrative Biology

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Sep 08, 2026

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

Position ends one-year (12-months) months from hire date.

Security sensitive; criminal background check conducted on selected candidate. Hiring decision is contingent upon applicant successfully clearing background requirements.

Purpose

This ecology research technician position will provide support to field, lab, and greenhouse research projects undertaken by the Wolf lab at the University of Texas. This position will mainly support two projects: a study experimentally manipulating biodiversity at the Brackenridge Field Lab, and a USDA-funded project examining the role of drought in mediating nitrogen fixation rates. The technician will work closely with PI Wolf as well as postdocs and graduate students in the lab to maintain infrastructure at the BFL experiment, oversee undergraduate researchers, process greenhouse samples, conduct laboratory analyses, and provide other support to grant-funded research. The technician will spend some time on computer tasks such as data entry and data analysis with R, and may have the chance to conduct an independent project related to current lab research. We seek independent, motivated, and curious candidates who are excited about learning new skills, creatively solving problems, and addressing ecological questions.

Responsibilities

• Maintaining and collecting data from an ongoing experiment at Brackenridge Field Lab

• Data entry, processing, and analysis

• Processing plant and soil samples for lab analysis

• Support of other greenhouse, lab, and field experiments in the Wolf lab

• Lab organization and management

Required Qualifications

• BS or equivalent in ecology or related field

• Previous experience conducting biological and ecological research in greenhouse, laboratory and field settings in central Texas

• Ability to identify central Texas plant species

• Previous experience collecting and processing soil and plant samples for elemental analysis

• Attention to detail; excellent organizational and problem-solving skills

• Excellent scientific communication skills

• Must be able to work efficiently both individually and as part of a team

• Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Salary Range

$40,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• Uniforms and/or personal protection equipment (furnished)

• May work in all weather conditions

• May work in extreme temperatures

• May work around chemical fumes

• May work around standard office conditions

• May work around chemicals

• May work around electrical and mechanical hazards

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

• Use of manual dexterity

• Climbing of stairs

• Climbing of ladders

• Lifting and moving ​

Work Shift

• 40 hours/week is required, and most of this time should be during normal business hours (e.g. 800am-5:00pm), although number of hours/day and days/week may change depending on what projects are being pursued.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.