Oceanography Lab Tech, Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Position Overview

Application Deadline: Open until filled

Education Required: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Marine Science, Oceanography, Chemistry, Geology, or related field

Experience Required: Entry-level; laboratory experience in biogeochemistry or microbiology preferred

Description

The Dauphin Island Sea Lab is hiring a full-time Oceanography Lab Technician for the Marine Biogeochemistry Lab in Dauphin Island, Alabama, on a salaried one-year term with renewal contingent on performance and funding.

The Marine Biogeochemistry Lab conducts interdisciplinary research on the biotic and abiotic influences on microbial cycling of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen across coastal salt marshes, the deep-sea subsurface, and extreme hypersaline ecosystems.

The technician joins a collaborative research team and contributes to lab operations, sample processing, and active fieldwork including offshore research cruises and coastal marsh deployments.

Responsibilities

• Manage general lab maintenance, including material organisation, purchasing, and chemical inventory.
• Conduct specialised biogeochemical analyses including stable and radio-isotopic methods to quantify microbial activities in sediment samples.
• Assist and maintain process-based biogeochemical incubations.
• Perform data entry and quality control for geochemical datasets and molecular community structure data.
• Deploy Wardenaar core samplers and equipment in coastal salt marshes to measure methane production and soil organic carbon.
• Participate in offshore research cruises aboard vessels including the R/V Pelican and R/V Atlantis, conducting sediment coring and water column sampling.
• Work in varied conditions ranging from local Alabama coastal waters to potentially remote or extreme environments.

Requirements

• Undergraduate (B.Sc.) or Master’s (M.S.) degree in Marine Science, Oceanography, Chemistry, Geology, or a related discipline.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative interdisciplinary team.
• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace.
• Physical capability for long field days exceeding eight hours in extreme weather, including lifting field gear up to 50 pounds.

Preferred Qualifications

• General laboratory experience in biogeochemistry or microbiology.
• Proficiency in coding languages such as Python, MATLAB, or R for data modelling.

Additional Notes

• Salaried position with a one-year term; renewal depends on performance and available funding.
• Dauphin Island Sea Lab is an equal opportunity employer.

How to Apply

Submit a curriculum vitae and the names of two professional references to Dr. Marshall Bowles, with “Technician Position” in the email subject line.

Required application materials:

• Curriculum vitae detailing relevant lab and field experience.
• Names and contact information for two professional references.