Title Information

Assistantship TitleResearch Assistant

Job Class Code00095

FLSAExempt

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

1. Currently admitted to the Graduate School

2. Be in good academic standing

3. Be registered full-time for the respective semester (nine semester credit hours during the fall

semester, nine semester credit hours during spring semester, six semester credit hours during the

summer session(s)), or in the required number of semester credit hours to fulfill the only remaining requirements on the degree plan.

Position Information

Posting NumberA1122

Working TitleResearch Assistant / Dr. Easton's CCME Graduate Research Assistantship

LocationBrownsville, Texas

CollegeCollege of Sciences

DepartmentCollege of Sciences / School of Earth Environmental and Marine Sciences

DivisionProvost - Academic Affairs

FTE.5

Scope of Job

Dr. Easton is inviting applications for a graduate position that includes support as a research assistant. The appointment is to begin Spring 2025 in the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ( UTRGV ). This position includes a research component aimed at conducting integrative octocoral systematics using microscopy and molecular techniques to study a selected octocoral taxon. The project plan will be co-developed by the applicant and Dr. Erin E. Easton with consideration of project feasibility and the specimen availability. The successful candidate will join a collaborative team of researchers in a rapidly expanding marine science program located in one of the fastest growing, culturally diverse regions in the nation, situated minutes from South Padre Island, Laguna Madre, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Duties may include assisting with general laboratory tasks, driving to and from campus locations and field sites as needed, organizing and participating in field trips to collect samples and environmental data, characterizing coral communities, using microscopy for morphological analyses and taxon assignment, producing and analyzing genetic data, and conducting statistical analyses of these data, among others. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, marine sciences, or a related field. Successful candidates must demonstrate an aptitude for research and ability to work independently. Prior field experience in or on the water and laboratory experience working with genetic markers, marine or ecology research, and statistical analyses is preferred.The successful applicant will be expected to apply to and enroll full time (Fall and Spring) in the UTRGV Ocean, Coastal, and Earth Sciences ( OCES ) Master of Science (MS) program pursuing the thesis option.

The available assistantship has a stipend of up to $30,000 and full tuition scholarship for a period of two years. The project is supported through the NOAA -funded Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems II ( CCME -II), a NOAA José E. Serrano Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions. Funds are available for research supplies, conference travel, and participation in a required CCME -II Center-wide Core Competency Course (in Corpus Christi, TX in Summer 2025) and a required 12-week NOAA Experiential Research Training Opportunity ( NERTO ) at a NOAA facility ( TBD ).

Discipline Specific Required Qualifications

As per the NOAA award terms and conditions, students supported under this program must meet the following eligibility criteria: (1) students must be U.S. citizens, (2) be full-time postsecondary students, (3) have and maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average, and (4) not be engaged in full-time employment outside the program and/or academic institution.Because this is a position funded by NOAA’s Educational Partnership Program for Minority Serving Institutions ( EPP - MSI ), students must submit a program-specific application and be accepted into that program to receive this assistantship. Funding to support students under this grant is provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce under award #NA21SEC4810004.

In addition, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, marine sciences, or a related field.Successful candidates must demonstrate an aptitude for research, capability to work in the field, and ability to work independently. Prior laboratory experience working with genetic markers, marine or ecology research, video analyses, and statistical analyses is preferred.A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.2 is preferred and minimum new GRE scores of verbal 150 and quantitative 153 is preferred. GRE requirement may be waived.The successful applicant will be expected to enroll full time (Fall and Spring) in the OCES MS program.The successful applicant is expected to work in the laboratory at the Port Isabel campus at 20 hr/wk but may need to attend classes at the Brownsville or Edinburg campus.

Student must be able to travel to the job location, which is 901 South Garcia Street, Port Isabel, Texas 78578.

Preferred Qualifications

The Graduate Research Assistant position is available to full-time graduate students, preferably those in good academic standing and in the Sch of Earth Env & Marine Sci.

Salary30000.00

Number of Vacancies1

Desired Start Date01/25/2025

Posting Detail Information

EEO Statement

It is the policy of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to promote and ensure equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or protected veteran status. In accordance with the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, our University is committed to comply with all government requirements and ensures non-discrimination in its education programs and activities, including employment. We encourage women, minorities and differently abled persons to apply for employment positions of interest.

Open Date10/18/2024

Special Instructions to Applicants

Interested applicants should send to Dr. Erin E. Easton (erin.easton@utrgv.edu) (1) a copy of their CV, (2) unofficial transcripts with GPA and, if available, GRE scores, (3) a written statement (one page; two pages max) of graduate research interests, and (4) contact information for two references. Please use subject heading CCME GRA applicant – Your Name.Your research project will be within NOAA CCME -II thematic area Place-Based Conservation. In your research interest statement, briefly describe your research interests in octocoral integrative systematics and how they might align with the NOAA CCME -II thematic area.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. For more information on the Easton lab, visithttps://eastonbenthos.org/andhttps://www.utrgv.edu/seems/people/erin-e-easton/index.htm.

Quick Linkhttps://careers.utrgv.edu/postings/44756

Posting Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

• Resume

• Unofficial Transcripts

Optional Documents