Scientific Assistant Senior

Washington State University • Mount Vernon, WA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Opportunity: As the Scientific Assistant Senior, you will perform senior‑level field, greenhouse, and laboratory research in support of the Berry and Potato Pathology (BPP) Program and the Vegetable Seed Pathology (VSP) Program at Washington State University’s Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center (NWREC). In this role, you will help identify and define research problems, design experimental approaches and methods, and apply appropriate plant pathology research techniques, including plant pathogen inoculations and disease evaluations. You will accurately record and compile data, conduct robust statistical analyses, interpret results, and summarize findings in tables, graphs, reports, and publishable formats. You will work both independently and collaboratively as part of the BPP and VSP programs, perform molecular plant pathology laboratory techniques (including molecular identification of plant pathogens), supervise time‑slip employees and undergraduate and graduate interns, advise other program staff, mentor graduate students and technical staff, assist Postdoctoral Research Associates, and interact constructively with stakeholders and the WSU Mount Vernon NWREC community. Due to the environments in which you will work, you must be willing to perform duties outdoors in a range of weather conditions and with a diversity of crops, plant pathogens, arthropod pests, and natural enemies. You must be willing to travel to field trial sites throughout Washington, including central Washington, and occasionally to other states, which may include overnight stays. You must also be willing to work in both conventional and organic agricultural production systems and to work with or in the vicinity of laboratory and agricultural chemicals, for which appropriate safety measures, equipment, and training will be provided.

Requirements

• A Master’s degree in an appropriate related scientific or engineering discipline and four (4) years of progressively responsible related professional research experience. A PhD in a scientific or engineering field may be substituted for up to two (2) years of the required work experience. Any combination of relevant education and professional experience may be substituted for the educational requirement on a year‐for‐year basis.
• Experience with field, laboratory, and greenhouse research experiments in plant pathology and experience operating plant pathology laboratory and greenhouse instrumentation.
• Experience in molecular laboratory techniques (including ELISA, DNA/RNA extraction, regular and real-time PCR assays, DNA or RNA sequencing for microbial identification, including multilocus sequence analysis and phylogenetic analysis).
• Experience with effective use of dissecting and compound microscopes.
• Knowledge of fundamental plant pathology principles, and experience applying those principles in a research environment.
• Experience carrying out research projects using appropriate experimental designs and techniques, within established protocols.
• Must have, or be able to obtain by time of hire, a valid driver’s license and meet requirements in accordance with SPPM 7.10 and departmental driving standards.
• A valid Washington State Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator’s license or willing and able to obtain within three months of hire.
• Ability to communicate effectively in written and spoken English.
• Effective communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills (written and oral), including demonstrated collaboration with coworkers and the public.
• Ability to listen and effectively handle employee questions, concerns, and problems.
• Evidence of quality research publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with plant pathology methods and research in small fruit, potato or vegetable seed crops, including seed quality assays and seed health testing.
• Experience operating various types of farm machinery used in research, particularly plant pathology research.
• Experience in diagnosis of plant diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes.
• Experience with microscope photography.

Responsibilities

• Research Experiment Design, Implementation, and Program Oversight
• Experiment Documentation, Statistical Analyses, Research Publications, and Presentations
• Laboratory, Greenhouse, and Field Equipment Operation
• Supervision
• Other Duties

Benefits

• WSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid sick and vacation leave; paid holidays; medical, dental, life and disability insurance package for employees and dependents; retirement; deferred compensation, optional supplemental retirement accounts; training and development; and employee tuition waiver.

What This Job Offers

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