• Job Type: Support Staff - Non-Union
• Regular/Temporary: Temporary
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $40,400 - $42,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Principal Investigator, the Laboratory Technician will support the lab operations by conducting tests, collecting data, and maintaining equipment. The primary focus is to study temperature sensitivities of symbiotic fixation and the carbon cost thereof. The work focuses on biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology, specifically on nitrogen and carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems.

The Menge/Griffing Lab at Columbia University's Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology (E3B) educates new generation of scientists to understand life on Earth from the level of organisms to global processes that sustain humanity and all life.

This is a one-year appointment with the possibility of extension if funding is secured.

Responsibilities

• Operates and maintains the laboratory equipment, such as instruments to take measurements and processing samples.
• Grows and tends to plants in a growth chamber, as well as symbiotic bacteria.
• Processes samples, ensures accurate and reliable testing results, and collects data.
• Organizes and maintains the laboratory facilities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent and 0-3 months of experience in a research environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or Postbaccalaureate Certificate in Ecology or a related field.
• Experience working in an ecosystem ecology/ecophysiology/biogeochemistry laboratory.
• Experience growing plants and culturing bacteria.
• Experience working with Picaro and Licor gas exchange instruments.
• Experience with data processing and management with the R platform.
• Exceptional organizational skills.
• Ability and desire to work as a member of a team.