Full posting is available online: https://www.jobs.cmich.edu/postings/33525
Position Summary
Provides general laboratory management and technical support by overseeing day-to-day operations of research lab and leading field research. Assists in freshwater mussel research projects by preparing and implementing field research including analyzing, attending meetings, and presenting data.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Biology or related discipline
- Knowledge of basic aquatic field techniques; invertebrate surveys, water quality sampling.
- Two years’ experience working with live freshwater mussels in the field.
- Familiarity with statistical analyses and graphing packages related to ecological data.
- Organizational skills; organize paperwork, keep accurate records, prepare and maintain field gear.
- Computer literacy and familiarity with tools such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and R software.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a collaborative lab team with students.
- Demonstrated ability to initiate and complete tasks independently, reliable work habits and comfortable learning and becoming proficient in new techniques.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and project a positive image.
- Valid driver’s license.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience aiding with or participating in freshwater mussel surveys in both shallow and deep waters (rivers and lakes).
- Demonstrate an understanding about basics of freshwater mussel conservation.
- SCUBA certified (internationally recognized certification; e.g., PADI, NAUI, or SSI).
- Experience with boats including canoes and/or small motored boats.
- Experience driving large vehicles and ability to trailer boats and or trailers.
- Experience with GIS software and/or mapping.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Assists in research projects by:
- Performs freshwater mussel surveys (timed, quadrat, snorkeling and/or SCUBA) which may require a significant amount of time in the summer away from CMU main campus.
- Assists in maintenance of field gear, boats, and vehicles.
- Prepares and implements analyses necessary for freshwater mussel conservation (e.g., quantitative survey data summaries and analyses, voucher records to museums, permit reporting, abiotic data analyses).
- Maintains records for experiments, surveys from the field including organizing data and documents results in a standardized format.
- Performs appropriate statistical analyses and graphing using software such as Excel or R.
- Aids in the development of reports and presentations using software such as Word, Adobe or Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Writes reports summarizing and presenting results.
- Aids with outreach to stakeholders.
- General laboratory and field research management and technical support by overseeing day to day operations of the lab including:
- Ordering supplies and materials.
- Maintains records of protocols as well as records of chemicals and biological material inventories and permit requirements.
- Provides general supervision and lab training to students that are lab researchers.
- Maintains, cleans, calibrates equipment and instruments.
- Assists with laboratory cleanliness.
- Drives safely to and from field sites with potential of trailering boats and/or trailers.
Message to Applicants
You must submit an online application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position.
Please submit:
1) Resume/Curriculum Vitae
2) Cover letter (addressed to the Hiring Committee)
3) Transcripts (unofficial accepted)
4) List of 3 academic references (optional)
Position will remain open until filled. The university reserves the right to close the recruitment process once a sufficient applicant pool has been identified. For best consideration, please submit application materials before Sunday, May 2, 2021.
Pay Range $15.57 - $ 24.53
Division Academic Affairs
Department Biology
Position Status Provisional
Position End Date 09/15/2023
Employment Status Full-Time
FTE1.00
Position Type 12 month
Weekly Work ScheduleM-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; weekends & evenings as required. Summer schedule variable. No overnight travel is expected.
At Will? No
Location Mount Pleasant, MI
About CMU
Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives.
We serve nearly 19,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, master’s, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence.
CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more.
Central is home to 17 men’s and women’s Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17.
CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. It’s part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the state’s largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant.
Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions — Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more — are within easy reach of the city’s central location in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.
CMU Leadership Standards
Central Michigan University is a place where we value students and work for their success, where we act as family, and where employees are engaged, appreciated and have extraordinary opportunities to make a difference.
We intentionally maintain and strengthen the hallmark CMU culture that sets us apart from our peers by expecting CMU leaders and employees to model the following Leadership Standards and develop them within their teams.
Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.
EEO Statement
CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity and provide equal opportunity within its community. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex‐based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight (see http://www.cmich.edu/ocrie).
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CMU does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, including admission and employment, and is required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 not to discriminate in such a matter.
Inquiries about the application of Title IX can be made to CMU’s Title IX Coordinator, the US Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary, or both.
CMU’s Title IX Coordinator can be reached at:
Phone: 989-774-3253
Office: 103 E. Preston St.
Bovee University Center, suite 306
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
Email: titleix@cmich.edu