Faculty Research Assistant/Senior Faculty Research Assistant I (Ocean Observatories Support)

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Oregon State University

Job Summary

The College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences invites applications for a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term, Faculty Research Assistant or Senior Faculty Research Assistant I (Ocean Observatories Support) position. Reappointment is at the discretion of the Dean.

Appointment at the Faculty Research Assistant rank is anticipated; however, appointment at a promoted rank may be considered depending upon the qualifications of the successful candidate.

Oregon State University (OSU) is a partner on a large-scale multi-year federally funded project called the National Science Foundation (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI). The NSF OOI operates a global, networked infrastructure of science-driven sensor systems to measure the physical, chemical, geological, and biological variables in the ocean and seafloor. OSU operates the NSF OOI Coastal Endurance Array, which is a network of sensors operating off the Pacific Northwest. This network brings a wealth of information to ocean researchers, fisheries, coastal managers, elected officials, and the general public about our shared ocean resources. The Endurance Array includes over 200 instruments mounted on 6 surface moorings, 5 profilers, and up to 6 gliders deployed off the coast of Oregon and Washington. Ocean measurements from these instruments are made available in near real time to the world via the web. The Endurance Array is described at https://oceanobservatories.org/array/coastal-endurance/, and the OSU team that operates it is described at https://ceoas.oregonstate.edu/ocean-observatories-initiative-ooi.

This Faculty Research Assistant (FRA) will collaborate with a team of researchers, oceanographers, and technicians to assemble, deploy, recover, and refurbish oceanographic platforms and instruments used in the OOI Endurance Array. They will take primary responsibility for work on electronic devices, including:
    • Refurbishment, configuration and integration of oceanographic platforms and the instruments attached to them.
    • Responsibility for configuration and programming of oceanographic platforms and instruments at-sea during research cruises.
    • Monitoring and remote operation of oceanographic platforms.
    • Quality assurance and quality control of Endurance Array data.
This FRA will focus on the team’s surface moorings and their associated instruments. This will mean refurbishing, programming, and troubleshooting a wide range of oceanographic instruments and the custom electronics OOI has created to power and control the instruments, save their data, and telemeter their data to shore.

In addition to the above-listed core responsibilities, the FRA will have the opportunity to specialize in areas such as:
  • Updating ocean electronics
  • Analyzing data in Python, MATLAB, or R
  • Data management and Information Technology

Why OSU?

Working for Oregon State University is so much more than a job!

Oregon State University is a dynamic community of dreamers, doers, problem-solvers and change-makers. We don’t wait for challenges to present themselves — we seek them out and take them on. We welcome students, faculty and staff from every background and perspective into a community where everyone feels seen and heard. We have deep-rooted mindfulness for the natural world and all who depend on it, and together, we apply knowledge, tools and skills to build a better future for all.

FACTS:

  • Top 1.4% university in the world
  • More research funding than all public universities in Oregon combined
  • 1 of 3 land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the U.S.
  • 2 campuses, 11 colleges, 12 experiment stations, and Extension programs in all 36 counties
  • 7 cultural resource centers that offer education, celebration and belonging for everyone
  • 100+ undergraduate degree programs, 80+ graduate degrees plus hundreds of minor options and certificates
  • 35k+ students including more than 2.3k international students and 10k students of color
  • 217k+ alumni worldwide
  • For more interesting facts about OSU visit: https://oregonstate.edu/about

Locations:

Oregon State has a statewide presence with campuses in Corvallis and Bend, the OSU Portland Center and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Pacific Coast in Newport.

Oregon State’s beautiful, historic and state-of-the-art main campus is located in one of America’s best college towns. Corvallis is located close to the Pacific Ocean, the Cascade mountains and Oregon wine country. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, this beautiful city offers miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a river perfect for boating or kayaking and an eclectic downtown featuring local cuisine, popular events and performances.

Total Rewards Package:

Oregon State University offers a comprehensive benefits package with benefits eligible positions that is designed to meet the needs of employees and their families including:

  • Medical, Dental, Vision and Basic Life. OSU pays 95% of premiums for you and your eligible dependents.
  • Free confidential mental health and emotional support services, and counseling resources.
  • Retirement savings paid by the university.
  • A generous paid leave package, including holidays, vacation and sick leave.
  • Tuition reduction benefits for you or your qualifying dependents at OSU or the additional six Oregon Public Universities.
  • Robust Work Life programs including Dual Career assistance resources, flexible work arrangements, a Family Resource Center, Affinity Groups and an Employee Assistance Program.
  • Optional lifestyle benefits such as pet, accident, and cancer insurance, giving you peace of mind and the support you need to thrive in all aspects of your life.

Future and current OSU employees can use the Benefits Calculator to learn more about the full value of the benefits provided at OSU.

Key Responsibilities

30% Lead Electrical Assembly of Moorings:
    • Lead top to bottom electrical assembly and testing of buoys, mooring risers, and integrated instruments that will be used for scientific research.
    • Test, integrate, update, troubleshoot, and refurbish custom built platform power, control, and communications electronics on oceanographic research platforms such as buoys, mooring risers, benthic packages, and profilers.
    • Draw conclusions on the deployment and design of platforms used for data collection.
    • Update and troubleshoot shore-side software that communicates with moorings.
    • Develop and follow procedures for the tasks above, ensuring proper collection techniques.
    • Coordinate with other FRAs and OOI peers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and provide direction to FRAs and student research assistants in these work tasks. Foster a safe, inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment and provide equitable opportunities and constructive feedback that supports the growth and development of student research assistants.
30% Lead Instrument-Related Tasks and Refurbishment:
  • Lead preparation of scientific research instruments for remote deployments using vendor software and/or Linux command line utilities (e.g. minicom).
  • Configure and program instruments, update vendor software on instruments, maintain instrument calibrations, plot scientific data to assess field performance of instruments, plot engineering data to assess performance of mooring systems, and refurbish instruments after recovery.
  • Disassemble and store electrical components, perform local refurbishment tasks, coordinate the transport and refurbishment of hardware and instruments at vendors, and track inventory.
  • Coordinate with instrument vendors for refurbishment and recalibration of instruments.
  • Follow and update procedures for the tasks above, ensuring proper sample collection techniques, and ensuring proper quality and format of data to be incorporated into published works. Coordinate with, and provide direction to, other FRAs in these work tasks.
20% – Deployment and Recovery:
  • Participate in oceanographic research cruises to deploy and recover platforms and instruments. Prepare for cruises by fully documenting configurations, leading the software integration and testing of moorings on the ship, communicating with moorings during deployment and recovery, and demobilizing moorings after recovery. Post-cruise, lead the download of data from moorings and instruments to OOI’s CyberInfrastructure and complete post-cruise assessments. From OOI’s CyberInfrastructure, data and metadata are disseminated to scientists and to national data archives.
15% – Write Technical Reports:
  • Contribute to technical reports describing integration and test of observatory elements, operational status of observatory elements, oceanographic cruises, and data quality. Lead the documentation and archiving of calibration, integration, and configuration data. Plot and analyze engineering and scientific data. Perform Quality Assurance and Quality Control analysis on OOI data. Document QA/QC results in OOI’s annotation database. Contribute to peer-reviewed publications and to presentations at scientific conferences.
5% – Community Engagement and Public Outreach:
  • Assist scientists as directed to meet OOI’s primary outreach goal of facilitating use of OOI by the scientific research community, such as contributing to the team’s presentation materials and exhibits and assisting with making research results available and accessible. If assigned, support the team’s broader outreach goals to diverse groups of stakeholders such as undergraduate students and educators, K-12 students and educators, and regional coastal resource managers and communities.
  • Drive university-owned, rental, or OSU Motor Pool vehicles to transport equipment and people to research sites or vendor locations.

What You Will Need

    • Bachelor’s degree in Oceanography, Marine Science, Natural Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field and 2 years of relevant work experience.
    • Demonstrated ability to learn technical skills outside of a classroom.
    • Experience writing and using Python, MATLAB, or R code.
    • Experience with software interfaces and electronics of scientific equipment.
    • Demonstrated written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, and ability to engage respectfully with individuals from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
    • Demonstrated scientific data analysis skills.
    • Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team environment with diverse groups of researchers, staff, and students.
    • Ability to contribute expertise and follow leadership directives at appropriate times.
    • Must obtain forklift certification within one month of hire. (Onsite training provided.)
    • Demonstrated commitment to working with diverse identities, perspectives and experiences, and to contributing to an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming workplace environment.
This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per University Standard: 05-010 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

This position requires driving a university vehicle or a personal vehicle on behalf of the university; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a motor vehicle history check, possess and maintain a current, valid driver’s license in their state of residence, be determined to be position qualified and self-report convictions as per University Policy 05-030.

Additional Required Qualifications for the Senior Faculty Research Assistant I rank:

  • Four years of professional experience conducting research in oceanography operating/maintaining OOI-like equipment or a closely related field.
  • Strong record of peer-reviewed publication and presentation in oceanography or a closely related field.

What We Would Like You to Have

  • Master’s degree in Oceanography, Marine Science, Natural Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
  • Experience analyzing oceanographic data or similar data types
  • Experience running and modifying Linux shell scripts.
  • Ability to read electrical and mechanical drawings
  • Experience preparing, deploying, recovering, and maintaining oceanographic research instrumentation.
  • Experience preparing, deploying, recovering, and maintaining underwater gliders.
  • Boat skills from experience on research, commercial, or recreational vessels.
  • Experience with design and documentation procedures and processes in large construction projects.
  • Expertise in hands on electronics, electrical, and software troubleshooting and problems resolution.

Working Conditions / Work Schedule

This position is required to work from various research ships in oceanic environments for up to 40 days per year. There will be one approximately 16-day cruise each spring and each fall on an Academic Research Fleet (ARF) University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) Global, Oceans, or Regional Class Ship. While at sea, the ability to work and reside in confined spaces will be required. At sea work takes place on a moving platform and requires working with lifting equipment; therefore, safety is of utmost importance. Safety guidelines are common to all research ships and are required to be followed (e.g., UNOLS Research Vessel Safety Standards (RVSS)). Safety procedures for specific operations will be worked out between our team’s Safety Lead and the Captain of each ship before each voyage.

This position works directly with non-restricted chemicals, and occasionally requires exposure to high noise levels, use of respirator or dust mask, and operation of passenger vehicles, utility carts, forklifts, and other vehicles.

To apply for this job please visit jobs.oregonstate.edu.