Laboratory Research Assistant

Colorado State University•Fort Collins, CO

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The successful candidate will support research advancing the sustainability, productivity, and environmental resilience of beef cattle systems through laboratory-based experimentation, coordination, and technical assistance. This position emphasizes the practical application of science to evaluate strategies that reduce enteric methane emissions and improve rumen fermentation efficiency. The primary responsibility of this role is to assist in an applied in vitro fermentation research project designed to test the effects of different feed additives on methane production under controlled laboratory conditions. The objective of the study is to quantify methane (CH₄) output and characterize rumen fermentation profiles—including total gas production, volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration and profile, in vitro dry matter digestibility, and ammonia nitrogen (NH₃–N) concentration—across diets formulated with two roughage sources (low-quality and medium-quality).

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science, Ruminant Nutrition, Animal Biology, Microbiology, or a closely related field.
Foundational understanding of ruminant digestive physiology, feed evaluation, or fermentation processes.
Demonstrated experience working in a laboratory setting, including basic laboratory techniques such as solution preparation, weighing samples, pipetting, and maintaining clean workflow practices.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to follow written standard operating procedures.
Effective communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively as part of a research team.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
Ability to work in a laboratory environment involving biological materials, rumen fluid, fermentation substrates, and chemical reagents.
Must adhere to all institutional laboratory safety protocols, including PPE use, chemical handling procedures, and biosafety requirements.
Ability to lift up to 25 pounds, stand for extended periods during laboratory procedures, and perform repetitive bench‑level tasks.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Ruminant Nutrition, Animal Science, Microbiology, or a closely related discipline.
Hands-on experience conducting in vitro fermentation studies, including handling rumen fluid, incubations, gas measurement techniques, or sample processing.
Experience with enteric methane research, including gas analysis systems, fermentation profiles (VFA, NH₃–N), or dry matter digestibility procedures.
Experience with analytical instrumentation such as gas analyzers, spectrophotometers, or chromatography systems.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and maintain accurate, high‑quality data records.
Experience working in research teams that integrate nutrition, microbiology, and environmental sustainability.

Responsibilities

Assist in conducting in vitro laboratory fermentation experiments, including preparation of substrates, additives, buffer solutions, and fermentation vessels.
Execute standard operating procedures for sample handling, incubation, gas measurement, fermentation termination, and chemical analysis.
Support the development and refinement of data collection protocols, laboratory workflow, and sample-processing documentation.
Operate and maintain laboratory equipment used for gas quantification, VFA analysis, NH₃–N determination, and other fermentation metrics.
Accurately record experimental data, manage sample inventories, and contribute to data quality assurance.