Research Technician

Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University

Responsibilities: The research technician will be based in the 

Department of Biological Sciences at FSU in Tallahassee, Florida, 

supervised by Dr. Andrew Rassweiler, but will also work closely with Dr. 

Sarah Lester in FSU’s Department of Geography.  The technician will help 

support an exciting portfolio of projects focused on the topics of 

marine biodiversity, coral reef resilience, ecological state change, 

marine spatial planning, and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. 

Research in the lab is inherently interdisciplinary, focusing on 

addressing fundamental questions in marine ecology, but also on applying 

those insights to conservation and management. The position includes a 

broad diversity of responsibilities and the ideal candidate is excited 

to participate in a range of research activities. 

The initial focus of the position will be on measuring marine 

biodiversity as part of a multi-institution Marine Biodiversity 

Observing Network project (http://sbc.marinebon.org/about/).  For this 

project, the technician will help to develop a tradeoff framework to 

estimate costs and benefits of alternative sampling methods and guide 

decisions about the design of future monitoring.  The technician will 

work with ecological data from diverse sources, and will participate in 

the development of cutting-edge techniques for biodiversity monitoring.  

In addition to this focal project, there will be opportunities to engage 

in other research projects in the lab, including field work.

The research technician will be expected to:

- Assist with data acquisition, management, processing, and analysis of 

large disparate datasets.

- Help with parameterizing and running simulation models.

- Conduct literature reviews and assist with preparing scientific 

manuscripts and presentations, with the potential to be involved as a 

co-author on papers.

- Assist with managing the lab, including purchasing supplies and 

equipment, organizing the lab, coordinating lab logistics, and 

recruiting and coordinating undergraduate research assistants.

- Participate in local marine fieldwork in coastal, intertidal and 

possibly subtidal habitats.

Qualifications: 

Required: 

- Bachelors or Masters degree in Marine Science, Ecology, Environmental 

Science, or related field.

- Strong quantitative and statistical skills and/or interest in 

developing those skills

- Experience with programming or scripted analysis in programs such as 

R, SAS, Matlab or similar.

- Strong skills in data acquisition and management.  

- Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team and 

independently

- Strong initiative and problem-solving skills

Preferred (but not required): AAUS certification, experience operating 

small boats, proficiency with GIS.

Terms: Ideally the position would start in September 2017, but start 

date is flexible. Initial appointment would be for one year, with strong 

potential for renewal contingent on performance. Salary commensurate 

with experience. 

How to apply: Apply by submitting a cover letter, CV, and names and 

contact information for three professional references as a single PDF to 

[log in to unmask].  Contact Dr. Andrew Rassweiler at 

[log in to unmask] with any questions. This position will remain 

open until filled.  Application review will begin on July 15, 2017, 

although all applications received before August 1 will be considered.