Research Assistant-Bivalve-Seagrass Restoration Project
About The Position
The Research Assistant will support the implementation of the Florida Bivalve–Seagrass Restoration Consortium’s Coordinated Network Experiment (CNE) within mesocosm systems at the Marine Discovery Center and in situ Indian River Lagoon (IRL) field sites. This position is responsible for coordinating field and laboratory sampling, maintaining mesocosm systems, managing environmental and biological datasets, and supporting deep-learning modeling workflows in collaboration with project investigators. The Research Assistant will also mentor undergraduate research interns and contribute to outreach, dissemination, and reporting activities associated with the Florida Sea Grant project.
Requirements
- Strong background in aquatic ecology, environmental monitoring, or restoration science
- Experience with field sampling and laboratory analysis
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office
- Ability to manage complex datasets and produce visual summaries
- Excellent organizational, communication, and documentation skills
- Ability to mentor undergraduate students in research environments
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively across institutions
- Comfort working outdoors in variable environmental conditions
- Attention to detail and commitment to data quality and integrity
Nice To Haves
- Working knowledge of Python and/or R
- Experience with estuarine or coastal systems
- Familiarity with seagrass, bivalve ecology, or restoration science
- Experience with environmental sensors (YSI, PAR, conductivity loggers)
- Prior involvement in research projects integrating field data with computational analysis
Responsibilities
- Assist with setup, maintenance, and monitoring of mesocosm systems at the Marine Discovery Center.
- Conduct routine field and laboratory sampling for water quality, sediment, seagrass, and bivalve metrics.
- Perform measurements including salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, nutrients, total suspended solids, and light availability.
- Support clam growth, survival, and condition assessments; seagrass biomass and foliar nutrient analyses; and sediment characterization.
- Maintain calibration logs and quality assurance protocols for YSI sondes, PAR sensors, and conductivity loggers.
- Enter, clean, organize, and manage multivariate environmental datasets.
- Generate time-series plots and summary visualizations using Python and/or R.
- Support development of deep learning models (DNN, GRU, LSTM) in collaboration with Co-PIs.
- Assist with data preprocessing, feature engineering, model evaluation, and documentation.
- Supervise and train undergraduate research interns in field methods, laboratory procedures, and data management.
- Support experiential learning activities coordinated through the Center for Collaborative Experiential Learning (CEL).
- Guide students in research communication, poster preparation, and data visualization.
- Contribute to project reports, presentations, and publications.
- Assist with dissemination activities including MDC public education displays and guided tours.
- Participate in consortium meetings and cross-institutional coordination with UF and MDC partners.
- Support presentations at professional conferences and community outreach events.
- Maintain organized project records, supplies, and sampling schedules.
- Assist PI with documentation for deliverables and timelines.
- Perform additional duties as assigned by the Principal Investigator.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
