Junior Specialist​/Vannette Lab

Position Overview

Salary range: A reasonable estimate for this position is $57,000.

Open date: August 12, 2026

Next review date: Tuesday, Sep 1, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Tuesday, Sep 1, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.

Junior Specialist Position Description in the Chiu Lab

Department of Entomology and Nematology, UC Davis

NATURE AND PURPOSE

The position of Specialist has a narrow focus in a specialized area and provides technical or specialized expertise (e.g., with instrumentation and research equipment or with social science research methods) in the planning and execution of a research project. The Specialist stays apprised of emerging issues and problems and maintains technical competence in the designated area(s) of specialization. Within this defined area and when appropriate, the Specialist is expected to provide mentorship, facilitate teamwork and develop collaborative relationships with colleagues and to supply input into the planning of research and educational programs.

Normally, Specialists do not have Principal Investigator (PI) status but may obtain permission by exception and/or collaborate with a PI in preparing research proposals for extramural funding. The Specialist is evaluated for merit and promotion using three basic criteria outlined below.

Overview:

This junior specialist position will support a project on bee-fungus interactions including bee rearing, sampling bee nesting materials, and microbial culture work. The selected candidate will assist with bee rearing fungal culturing experiments including field sampling, maintenance of leaf cutter bee nests and fungal material maintenance and sample preparation. The candidate will also help collect and record experimental data, and support general laboratory and greenhouse activities related to the project.

Experience with solitary bees, sterile technique, microbiome assessment, fungal culturing, chemical ecology, or insect behavior work is required. The candidate should be organized, detail-oriented, and able to carefully maintain cultures and experimental records.

Research (90%):

• The successful candidate will assist with sampling solitary bee nests in the field including on the Student Farm, at UC Reserves and additional approved field sites. This includes digging, careful excavation and work in hot and challenging conditions.
• Assist with experiments related to bee responses to fungal infection including insect rearing, assessment of development, sampling tissues and preparation for lipidomics analyses.
• Maintain fungal cultures and assist with fungal tissue extraction, counting, inoculum preparation, and experimental assays including focal fungi under laboratory, growth chamber, or greenhouse conditions.
• Generate figures for publication or presentations using MS PowerPoint, Bio Render, R, Graph Pad Prism, ImageJ, or other appropriate software.
• Document effective planning and execution of research projects through regular participation in laboratory group meetings and research updates.
• Document effective planning and execution of research projects through regular participation in laboratory group meetings and research updates.
• Read relevant published literature in the fields of solitary bee biology and insect-microbe interactions to assist in planning new research directions.
• Assist the PI and other lab members with laboratory, growth chamber, and greenhouse experiments related to bee-microbe interactions.
• Help organize and maintain protocols, experimental records, culture inventories, bee and fungal materials, culture records, and research data.
• Assist the PI or other lab members in manuscript preparation, including but not limited to reading academic literature, writing manuscript sections, preparing figures and tables, and revising manuscripts based on conducted work.
• Assist with lab maintenance, including maintaining sterile work areas, tissue culture facilities, field materials, lab safety records, and chemical inventory records.

Professional Competence (5%):

• Present research at weekly lab meetings, regional scientific meetings, or national scientific meetings.
• Participate in/attend weekly lab meetings, joint lab meetings with other labs on campus, and weekly seminars in the Department of Entomology.
• Participate in relevant outreach events.
• Engage with scientific literature and related research to inform research directions and protocols and to contribute to new research.

University and Public Service (5%):

• As a component of university service, the incumbent may be asked to serve on one or more department committees, such as the Department Safety Committee or the Facilities Committee.
• As a public service, the incumbent will be encouraged to participate in outreach activities, such as those held as part of events hosted by the Bohart Museum of…