Junior Specialist - Selina Wang Lab

Position Overview

Salary range: $55,000.00 at Step 1.

• Open date: June 4, 2026
• Next review date: Friday, Jun 19, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
• Final date: Tuesday, Jun 30, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

JUNIOR SPECIALIST POSITION DESCRIPTION

The position of Junior Specialist provides technical or specialized expertise in the planning and execution of research projects in a food chemistry laboratory. The Junior Specialist stays apprised of the research area and maintains technical competence in the designated area(s) of specialization. The role of this position is to provide specialized expertise in food chemistry research in the UC Food Quality laboratory of the Principal Investigator Dr.

Selina Wang. The Junior Specialist is actively and significantly engaged in research including various projects that are related to food quality and analytical chemistry method development.

The Junior Specialist is responsible for setting up and executing experiments and conducting quality control and data management procedures. The Junior Specialist will have the opportunity to have creative input into the design of and selection of experiments to meet the study objectives. They will also assist with routine day-to-day lab duties including lab safety duties, supplies acquisition, and will lead undergraduate assistants.

The Junior Specialist also supports the UC Davis Olive Center Faculty Director Dr. Selina Wang and Specialist/lab manager on research-related activities, product quality evaluation, sample preparation, and technical preparation for educational courses and outreach programs.

• Research in specialized areas (90% effort)
• The Junior Specialist will use their academic and professional expertise to make scientific contributions to a research study and will contribute to published research. Under the general direction of the Principal Investigator and lab manager, the Junior Specialist will collaborate with other research personnel such as undergraduate student assistants and collaborators.
• The Junior Specialist will prepare samples using standard techniques and analyze them following established methods. Sometimes, it may be necessary to develop and/or optimize methods. Samples may include food products, olive oil, olives, and other samples related to UC Food Quality Lab and UC Davis Olive Center research and applied quality evaluation.
• The Junior Specialist will be actively engaged in sample collection and analysis and will work with collaborators in the laboratory as well as from other departments at UC Davis. The Junior Specialist will also assist with sample organization, product quality evaluation, and technical support for Olive Center products, educational courses, and research-based outreach activities.
• The Junior Specialist will draft tables and figures for presentations, reports, and scientific publications as well as drafting and revising manuscripts as needed. The Junior Specialist will also assist with organizing data and technical materials for UC Food Quality Lab and Olive Center reports, course materials, and program deliverables.
• The Junior Specialist will assist with laboratory maintenance tasks, including safety management, maintaining the chemical inventory, managing lab waste, and other lab maintenance tasks.
• Professional competence and activity (10% effort)
• The Junior Specialist will participate in appropriate professional/technical societies or groups and other educational and research organizations to learn more about the newest advances in the chemistry related to food quality, authenticity and safety.
• The Junior Specialist will organize data for grant reports and publications prior to submission and offer technical and creative contributions to manuscript preparation.
• The Junior Specialist will conduct literature searches for articles relevant to the research topic, engage in discussions of data with the Principal Investigator/Olive Center Faculty Director and Specialist/lab manager, and contribute to presentation of research findings and manuscript preparation.

Basic qualifications

• BS in Chemistry, Food Science or…