Job Description: The USDA, Agriculture Research Service, Northern Plains Agriculture Research Laboratory in Sidney, MT is seeking an enthusiastic and hard-working individual to serve as a full time technician primarily identifying insect samples from research focused on plant community restoration, weed management, and disturbance ecology. Our projects involve studies on how insect communities respond to restoration after invasive species removal and the impacts of oil development and other management practices on grassland insect communities. The duties of this position will entail sorting, counting, and identifying diverse insect fauna to family from samples collected in rangeland and riparian areas, and may involve other research opportunities both in the field and laboratory. The successful candidate will gain diverse research experience in applied insect ecology working with a multidisciplinary team of scientists.
Salary: $12.19 or $13.68 per hour depending on experience and education. Housing is not covered, but dorm-style shared housing is available on location for $131 per month, and also includes utilities and internet. Dates: We are looking for an individual who can work at least 3 months and up to 5 months during the period from January through May. Please specify your available start and end dates in your application. Qualifications: The candidate must be a US citizen. Must be able to rapidly learn new skills, remain focused in a shared work environment and be comfortable working long hours at repetitive tasks in the lab. Undergraduate coursework covering insect identification to family level, or equivalent work experience, is required. Work experience sorting arthropods to family is preferred. Application process: Please send cover letter, resume and names and contact information of two references (electronically) to Dr. Natalie West ([email protected]). Additionally, we would be happy to chat with potential candidates attending the 2015 Entomological Society meeting in Minneapolis. Evaluation of applications will begin immediately, and continue until the position is filled. Please note that due to long processing times for federal hiring, there will be a minimum of 5-weeks delay between selection of the successful candidate and receipt of all their final application materials, and the actual start date of work at the lab. For more information on the application process or our research program visit our website at www.ars.usda.gov/npa/nparl or contact us directly.
