Meyer Lab Technician

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

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The IRD for this job is: 03-18-2026

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, located in the Coastal Biology Building on the Coastal Science Campus, is a dynamic group comprised of instructional and research units and a variety of support programs and facilities with staff committed to providing excellent service to students, faculty and researchers. The department consists of 23 faculty, 6 adjunct professors, and many lecturers, postdocs, researchers, and other administrative and technical support staff. Departmental resources for operations and research are among the highest in the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences.

The department has approximately 900 declared and proposed undergraduate students in four distinct programs and 90 graduate students working towards Ph.D. and master's degrees. The department offers a significant number of courses (160 laboratory, seminar, and lecture courses with at least 200 secondary sections), many in support of other majors, serving as many as 11,000 enrollments each year. The department is closely aligned with the research and faculty in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, Environmental Studies, and Ocean Sciences as well as outside agencies NOAA, NMFS, MBARI, California Academy of Sciences, and others.

More information can be found at: https://eeb.ucsc.edu/

JOB SUMMARY

The CALeDNA (www.ucedna.com) citizen science environmental DNA program is conducting research projects with the National Park Service and other natural areas managers to identify and map biodiversity across the country. The full-time Lab Assistant assists with research projects, generates environmental DNA data, and learns and participates in analyses and writing. The Lab Assistant will also be the safety captain and manage frozen environmental sample collections as research resources. Occasionally, the Lab Assistant will work with other members of the UCSC Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department for cross-training and to help each other, and will attend professional development activities.

We are looking for someone who wants to go into molecular evolution or ecology research and build experience that will help them prepare for graduate school, natural resource management, industry, or not-for-profit research. The incumbent will be working on a very special project with the National Park Service to help them detect aquatic invasive species from eDNA. For this project, responsibilities include sequencing and assembling organellar genomes from plants and animals, and designing qPCR primers for eDNA surveillance.

Under the supervision by Rachel Meyer, the incumbent will serve as a member of a research team collecting environmental DNA for biodiversity, ecology, and earth science topics. The incumbent will help maintain the laboratory, help to train new researchers and visiting researchers, help informatically analyze data and manage sample collections. The incumbent will scale up social media presence, handle the logistics of workshop organization, and assist with planning bioblitzes and other outreach activities focused on eDNA. The incumbent will spend 100% of their time at UCSC Coastal Biology Building.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $25.78/hour. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: UC Santa Cruz Main Campus

Union Representation: TX, Technical

Job Code Classification: LAB AST 2 (009603)

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

30% - Sample Processing

• Responsible for sample organization, DNA extraction, metabarcoding, and DNA library preparation.
• Works with the Paleogenomics Lab team to sequence samples and promptly save the data once available.
• Inventories the supplies consumed and restocks the lab when needed.

30% - Training and Community Engagement

• Demonstrates all sample processing steps and helps undergraduate and graduate students and visiting researchers learn to use lab equipment safely.
• Keeps the supplies stocked and in their proper place, and takes care of equipment to maintain safety.
• Runs Bioblitzes, which are group outdoor excursions to collect eDNA samples.
• Recruits volunteers to be citizen scientists in the Bioblitz, leads hikes, trains volunteers in sample collection and iNaturalist use, and helps keep people safe and together.

25% - Data Processing and Analysis

• Conducts informatics research on eDNA data using Linux and high performance servers, which includes using the Anacapa Toolkit. Uses these products for community ecology analyses in R, including for example, the packages VEGAN, Phyloseq, and SpIEC-EASI.
• Writes reports of the methods, results, and interpretation.

15% - Administrative and Communications Support

• Contributes to blog posts such as text and photos to the Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and CALeDNA web pages. Helps curate content so it is accurate and updated.
• Assists the Genomics Institute in developing content and communications that elevate the Genomics Institute - eDNA work profile.
• Assists with travel and meeting activities, helps manage receipts and reimbursements, and assists with other tasks related to research administration.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree in Biology or other related field or a combination of equivalent training and/or experience.
• Knowledge such as attained in lower level division coursework leading to a Bachelor's Degree in Biology or other related field or a combination of equivalent training and/or experience.
• Competency to make DNA libraries.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Strong verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to exercise flexibility, initiative, good judgment and discretion.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Knowledge of social media platforms.
• Strong problem solving skills.
  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Basic skills in R and Linux.
• Completion of Molecular Ecology BIOE 137 Lecture and Lab, or equivalent.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.
• Ability to sustain exposure to dusty, noisy environments and inclement weather as necessary to carry out assigned duties and responsibilities.
• Ability to walk and/or hike outdoors for extended amount of time.
• The selected candidate will be required to work all scheduled hours on-site.
• Ability to work safely in areas where hazardous materials are present or stored.
• Ability to wear proper safety attire (long pants, closed-toe shoes, etc.) and personal protective equipment common in a laboratory setting.
• Ability to read signs and follow directions on labels that are written in English as well as ability to read and understand Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and the proper use of chemical compounds.
• Ability to travel to multiple work locations on and off campus.
• Ability to maintain appearance and conduct suitable for working in a professional setting.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
  • UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
  • UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
  • Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.