Technician I

Job description

Agency

Department

About Texas A&M AgriLife

Texas A&M AgriLife is comprised of the following Texas A&M University System members:

• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

• Texas A&M AgriLife Research

• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University

• Texas A&M Forest Service

• Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory

As the nation’s largest most comprehensive agriculture program, Texas A&M AgriLife brings together a college and four state agencies focused on agriculture and life sciences within The Texas A&M University System. With over 5,000 employees and a presence in every county across the state, Texas A&M AgriLife is uniquely positioned to improve lives, environments and the Texas economy through education, research, extension and service.

Click here to learn more about how you can be a part of AgriLife and make a difference in the world!

Position Information

The Grunwald lab is seeking an ambitious and highly motivated technician to support the research and outreach activities of the laboratory. A successful candidate will work in a collaborative environment to provide technical support for molecular plant pathology research conducted on plant pathogens of emerging biosafety concern: from developing molecular detection technologies to evaluating the biological risk of seedborne pathogens and including conducting grower/producer surveys to assess the preparedness of agricultural systems to biological threats.

Responsibilities:

• Conducts experiments and technical procedures. Solves research problems and collects data. Reviews literature on potential procedures and experiments. Modifies procedures to suit specific research needs
• Orders scientific supplies and equipment. Research and catalogs reference materials requiring subject-matter theory
• Assists with planning and supervising technical operations. Assists personnel involved in a series of controlled-environment or analytical experiments
• Writes and/or edits scientific materials for publication, requiring academic knowledge
• Other duties as assigned

Required Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Two years of lab experience in molecular biology techniques, including molecular cloning, DNA purification, RNA purification, DNA sequencing, and gel electrophoresis.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of laboratory equipment, scientific apparatus, and computer equipment.
• Ensure attention to detail. Able to multitask and work cooperatively with others.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with different PCR techniques (conventional and quantitative).
• Familiarity in “next-generation” sequencing workflows, including bioinformatic analysis.
• An understanding of current research in plant pathology and molecular diagnostics.
• Well organized, self-motivated, and have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficient in or familiar with data analysis using computational platforms, e.g., R or Python.

What You Need to Know

Salary: Compensation for this position is commensurate based on the selected candidate’s qualifications. This is an hourly paid position.

Why Work at Texas A&M AgriLife?

When you choose to work for Texas A&M AgriLife, you become part of an organization that is an established leader in agriculture and life sciences with a wide range of capabilities to meet the needs of our statewide, national, and international constituents.

In addition, Texas A&M AgriLife offers a comprehensive benefit package including the following:

• Health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M AgriLife contributing to employee health and basic life premiums 
• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays  
• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas  
• Employee Wellness Initiative for Texas A&M AgriLife

Applicant Instructions

Applications received by Texas A&M AgriLife must either have all job application data entered or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to prepopulate the online application.

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter
  

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.