Research Engineering/Scientist Associate I Full-time

Research Engineering/Scientist Associate I

The assignment term is 12-months from the date of hire. Renewals for additional one-year periods may be possible, contingent upon job performance, progress towards research goals, and funding.

UT Austin provides an outstanding benefits package including but not limited to:

• Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)
• Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options
• Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays
• Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with employer matching funds
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
• Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Austin CapMetro buses with staff ID card

Must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employer without sponsorship. This position is security sensitive; criminal background checks conducted on selected candidate. Hiring decision is contingent upon applicant clearing background checks.

Purpose

We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Laboratory Technician to join our research team studying plant–microbe interactions. The successful candidate will conduct laboratory and greenhouse experiments aimed at understanding how bacteria and fungi influence plant growth and health. Experiments may include evaluating natural microbial communities, synthetic microbial communities and engineering microbial communities to improve plant growth. Specific tasks may involve isolation and cultivation of plant-associated microbes, microbial gene manipulation and molecular cloning, DNA extraction from plant and microbial samples, PCR and gel electrophoresis, and preparation of sequencing libraries. Additional responsibilities include maintaining strict sterile techniques for microbial culturing and plant inoculation experiments; culturing bacteria and preparing media and reagents; maintaining accurate laboratory records and databases; managing laboratory supplies and equipment; and ensuring compliance with safety and biosafety protocols. The technician will collaborate closely with researchers and students to support ongoing projects and contribute to a collaborative, team-oriented research environment.

Responsibilities

• Assist graduate students, research scientists, and faculty members with research experiments related to plant-microbiome interactions. This will often involve working with plants grown in growth chambers, greenhouses, and the field. Experiments may involve studies evaluating synthetic microbial communities and studies engineering microbial communities for improved plant growth. Specific tasks may include isolation and cultivating plant associated microbes, molecular cloning, functional studies of plant genes by analyzing mutants, using established protocols to extract genomic DNA or total RNA in a high throughput manner, and preparing libraries using these samples for next generation sequencing.
• Assist with data archiving, filtering, and basic bioinformatics analyses when possible.
• Ensure the laboratory adheres to compliance standards, biosafety regulations, and fire safety codes. Arrange shipments of biological materials involved in research. Contribute to lab outreach activities. Attend weekly lab meeting.
• Manage and coordinate lab resources including maintaining a clean workplace, organizing and maintaining freezers, stocking reagents, etc.
• Driving a UT owned or personally owned vehicle is an essential function of the position.
• Supervise and train undergraduate students to conduct laboratory and greenhouse experiments.

Required Qualifications

A bachelor's degree in Microbiology, Plant Biology, Molecular Biology, Microbial Ecology, or a closely related field in biological sciences is required. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Laboratory research experience is preferred.

Driving Required

This job requires a class “C” operator's driver's license. The applicant selected must provide a current three year driving record from the current state of residence. If not currently a Texas resident, a Texas driver's license must be obtained within 30 days of becoming a Texas resident.

Salary Range

$35,568 + 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 standard office conditions
• May work around biohazards
• May work around chemicals
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation
• Use of manual dexterity
• Lifting and moving

Work Shift

• Flexible: 40 hours/week is required, and most of this time should be during normal business hours (e.g., 9:00am-5:00pm), although numbers of hours/day and days/week can be negotiated and 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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]
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