SEASONAL FIELD TECHNICIAN POSITIONS: FOREST ECOLOGY
Tyson Research Center
Washington University in St. Louis
Two seasonal field technician positions are available in Jonathan Myers’ research group at Washington University in St. Louis (http://www.myersecologylab.com). The technicians will work collaboratively with a research team to establish field experiments and census plant communities in large-scale forest-dynamics plots at Washington University=92s environmental field station, the Tyson Research Center (http://tyson.wustl.edu), located 20 miles from campus. Primary tasks include: 1) establishing permanent forest-dynamics plot for surveys of tree communities; 2) constructing mammal-exclusion fences; 3) implementing seed-addition experiments; 4) identifying, tagging, measuring, and mapping seedlings and trees; 5) collecting, counting, and identifying seeds; 6) measuring environmental variables in the field; 7) entering data into spreadsheets using Excel; and 8) assisting with the mentoring and supervision of undergraduate students and high school students in field research.
Position details: The technicians will assist with a NSF-funded project investigating why the diversity of functional traits at regional scales influences community assembly, biodiversity, and responses of plant communities to environmental change (fire & nutrient availability). The positions are full-time, temporary positions (up to 6 months) with no benefits. Wages will be commensurate with experience. The start dates are flexible, but ideally the positions would begin by February 15, 2017. Successful applicants will need to secure their own housing in St. Louis or near the Tyson Research Center in Eureka, Missouri.
Minimum requirements: Bachelors degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, forestry or a related field; experience conducting ecological field research; desire to learn new field skills; and the ability to work outdoors under arduous conditions that include walking across steep terrain and cold or hot/humid weather. Ideal candidates will have a strong interest in ecology, strong teamwork skills, and enjoy working outdoors.
To apply: Please combine the following into a single PDF file: 1) a cover letter describing your interest in this position, relevant past experience, start date availability, and contact information for three references including email addresses and phone numbers; and 2) a CV or resume. Application materials must be submitted electronically through https://jobs.wustl.edu by entering the job ID number (35531) as a keyword under =93Basic Search.=94 Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the positions are filled. Candidates are encouraged to e-mail Jonathan Myers (jamyers@wustl.edu) to indicate interest in the position as soon as possible using the subject line “Seasonal Field Technician Position”. Questions regarding the position can be directed to Jonathan Myers.