The Prince William Sound Science Center (www.pwssc.org), a non-profit research and education institution located on the shores of Prince William Sound in Cordova, Alaska, is seeking a field and lab technician for a fisheries research position studying the interaction between juvenile Pacific salmon and Pacific herring in Prince William Sound.
Duties
Serve as a technician on research cruises involving sampling fishes, plankton, and oceanographic conditions in Prince William Sound and be responsible for processing samples in the lab. A successful candidate should have experience performing scientific work at sea, the willingness and ability to work under challenging weather conditions, and familiarity with a variety of field and lab methods used in fishery science and oceanography.
Term
Beginning April 2024 and lasting 6 months, including approximately 4-5 separate research cruises during May-July and lab work extending through September.
Responsibilities and Qualifications
A successful candidate will have experience in both field and lab settings. The technician will be responsible for carrying out field sampling (4-5 day ocean cruises) involving a variety of methods, including trawling, plankton collections, CTD sampling, and field processing of biological samples (fish and plankton). This individual will need to devote approximately 80% of the time performing lab work, including identifying and enumerating zooplankton and processing fish samples for diet description and calorimetric analyses. Lab work will also involve sample preparation for further analyses at other labs (DNA barcoding, stable isotopes, and origin determination from otoliths). The technician should be capable and willing to work in remote locations and in rough seas. The work will require great attention to detail and an ability to work collaboratively and cooperatively with vessel captains, other technicians, and scientists. A successful candidate should also have some experience using computer software for data entry and data processing.
Applicant must be authorized to work in the United States for any US employer.
Salary and benefits: Salary is $17-21/hour, dependent on experience. Unemployment insurance and workers compensation are included.
Closing Date: January 31, 2024
