Research Associate 2

The Ohio State University • Wooster, AR

16h • Onsite

About The Position

Conducts independent research activities in the study of plant microbiome diversity and function, within controlled environment agriculture. Leads research activities including experiment testing, planning, setup and sampling, data generation and analysis. In the laboratory applies culture-independent approaches to study microbial communities in plants and other CEA compartments, including nucleic acid extraction, PCR, qPCR and application of bioinformatic pipelines. Maintains thorough records of research, including annotated bioinformatic pipelines. Prepares reports and manuscripts for publication. Trains and assists other laboratory personnel when needed. This position will be a temporary assignment for 1 year or less with fulltime hours, located at our Wooster campus for the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences.

Requirements

• Master's degree with a major in Plant Pathology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, or related field, or equivalent experience required; 3 years of relevant experience required with bachelor's degree, or 1 year of relevant experience required with master's degree.
• Experience with handling of microbial cultures.
• Molecular expertise (such as DNA/RNA extraction and PCR).
• Nucleic acid sequence data analysis (basic bioinformatics experience).
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Experience in manuscript preparation and publication.

Nice To Haves

• PhD with a major in Plant Pathology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, or related field.
• Experience in bioinformatics as it applies to plant microbiome analysis.
• Familiarity with R language.
• Undergraduate mentoring experience.

Responsibilities

• Conducts independent research activities in the study of plant microbiome diversity and function, within controlled environment agriculture.
• Leads research activities including experiment testing, planning, setup and sampling, data generation and analysis.
• Applies culture-independent approaches to study microbial communities in plants and other CEA compartments, including nucleic acid extraction, PCR, qPCR and application of bioinformatic pipelines.
• Maintains thorough records of research, including annotated bioinformatic pipelines.
• Prepares reports and manuscripts for publication.
• Trains and assists other laboratory personnel when needed.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision coverage, with Ohio State paying a significant portion of the cost.
• Paid time off, including sick and vacation time and 11 holidays.
• State retirement plan or an alternative retirement plan, both with generous employer contributions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level