Announcement of Position Availability at the Jornada Basin LTER
TITLE: Research Assistant (Requisition # 2008005737)
ANTICIPATED START DATE: July 23, 2008
SALARY: Commensurate with education and experience. Continued employment
contingent upon federal funding
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: A Bachelor's degree in field of research applicable
to the position and two years of related experience.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: The successful applicant will have a keen
interest in plants coupled with field experience in plant identification and
the use of dichotomous keys. Other preferred qualifications include
knowledge of Chihuahuan Desert flora and fauna, practical experience with
electrical and mechanical maintenance of climatological and hydrological
instruments, and skill in the use of hand and power tools.
The successful candidate will be flexible, able to enjoy working in the
field under high heat, sun, and wind exposure (as this is primarily a desert
field position), work reliably both independently and as part of a team,
establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates and
principle investigators, be comfortable working safely with moderately
hazardous materials, make sound judgments relative to analytical processes,
recognize the extreme accuracy and consistency essential to long term
research, assemble and record accurate data, follow detailed oral and/or
written instructions exactly, communicate well both verbally and in writing,
and have some supervisory skills. Acute attention to small details,
enthusiasm, and the ability to get along well with co-workers, supervisors,
and principle investigators are essential.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Driver's license.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Work is based out of New Mexico State University in Las
Cruces, NM. Individual will participate in the on-going and
multi-disciplinary Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)
program on desertification in the Chihuahuan Desert. Research disciplines
include plant ecology (~35%), aeolian studies (~15%), hydrology (~10%),
animal ecology (~10%), soils (~9%), and climatology (~5%). Approximately 85%
of the time will be spent outdoors collecting data, with the remaining 15%
of the time spent in the lab processing samples, cleaning equipment, and
checking data. Although the position is usually 40 hours a week, additional
hours will occasionally be required both during the week and on weekends.
Specific field responsibilities include extensive plant
identification and
measurements; soil moisture measurements using a neutron probe; extensive
collection of hydrology data and frequent maintenance of hydrological
equipment; maintenance of field instruments, equipment, and infrastructure;
handling and identification of small mammals; and repeat photography. The
position will entail manual labor such as routine carrying of heavy
instruments in the field for extended periods, installation and maintenance
of experimental study infrastructure, and could include tasks like shrub
removal, trenching, and soil coring. The individual will work with a wide
variety of taxa and will be required to learn identification of all flora
(~350 spp.) and selected fauna found in the research area.
General responsibilities include collecting and recording
moderately
complex data in both field and laboratory environments in accordance with
established protocols, limited data entry, maintaining organizational and
historical data for each study, aiding principle investigators with data
collection and experimental design (assisting with design, testing, and/or
modification of experimental equipment as well as installation of
experimental apparatus).
BENEFITS: Group medical and hospital insurance, group life insurance, state
education retirement, worker's compensation, annual leave, sick leave, and
unemployment compensation.
Review of APPLICATIONS: Review of applications will begin July 9, 2008 and
continue until filled. Submit letter of interest, resume or CV, copy of
unofficial transcripts, and 3 references with contact information.
Electronic submissions must be in MS WORD, Rich Text Format (RTF), or PDF.
Other formats will not be accepted.
REPLY TO: John P. Anderson, Jornada LTER Site Manager
USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range Voice: 505-646-5818
P.O. Box 30003 Fax: 505-646-5889
MSC 3JER New Mexico State University Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Las Cruces, NM 88003-0001 [2995 Knox Street, Suite 200 for FedEx, etc.]
OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT CONTINGENT UPON VERIFICATION OF INDIVIDUAL'S ELIGIBILITY
FOR EMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES. NMSU IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER.
