Research Technician

LUMCON is a program of the Louisiana Board of Regents serving as a statewide academic and research Consortium representing over 40 universities and colleges across Louisiana. LUMCON’s mission is to promote, facilitate and conduct research and education collaborations among Louisiana’s universities in marine and coastal sciences relevant to the sustainability of coastal and marine environments of the U.S. Gulf Coast.

LUMCON provides unparalleled opportunities in coastal, marine, and oceanographic science and education to the research community and public alike. Anchored by a first-rate marine laboratory, the DeFelice Marine Center, LUMCON is embedded in Louisiana’s dynamic wetland environment and conveniently located on a gateway to the open waters of the Gulf. LUMCON operates a world-class fleet of research vessels unmatched on the US Gulf Coast.

In 2023, LUMCON expanded its programs through the opening of a maritime research and outreach facility (Blue Works) on the Maritime Campus in Houma. In 2025, a large boat slip and bulkhead project was completed on the Maritime Campus. We recently held the ground breaking for a new Marine Operations Center that will open in 2027 and a keel‑laying for the state’s new flagship, 125‑foot RV Pelican II, which will also be delivered in 2027.

The Roberts Lab of Ecosystem Ecology and Biogeochemistry (lumcon.edu/broberts and ) at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) is seeking multiple research technicians to join our interdisciplinary research team in support of projects supported by multiple grants from NSF, BOEM, NASEM GRP, and GCOOS. These research positions are available immediately with applications being accepted until the positions are filled.

The Roberts Lab is interested in understanding how ecosystems transform and retain nutrients and energy. We are particularly interested in examining how the mechanisms regulating the autotrophic/heterotrophic balance and the biogeochemical cycling and transport of materials along the continuum from headwater streams and lakes to large rivers, wetlands, estuaries, and open‑ocean ecosystems are altered as a result of human perturbations to the landscape and how restoration efforts might mitigate some of these deleterious impacts.

We are looking for highly motivated, enthusiastic, and organized individuals to participate in field and laboratory work studying coastal wetlands, estuaries, and/or coastal shelf ecosystems. The technician will work closely with other members of the Roberts Lab and collaborators at LUMCON and other institutions throughout the country. Current projects in the Roberts lab include long‑term studies on coastal wetland carbon (CH4and CO2fluxes), nutrient exchanges, microbial ecology, and vegetation dynamics;

methane (and other elemental) efflux from river influenced marine sediments; methane dynamics across microbe‑to‑landscape scales in coastal wetlands; the relationship of human disturbance to ecosystem services (focus on sediment biogeochemistry and primary production) in offshore sand shoal habitats; plant productivity and soil biogeochemistry in salt marsh – mangrove ecotones; living shoreline restorations; and wetland and coastal estuarine biogeochemistry.

The positions are based at LUMCON’s DeFelice Marine Center in Cocodrie, LA (mailing address is Chauvin, LA).

cover letter and a current resume or CV with your application.

• B.S. in biogeochemistry, coastal / marine science, ecology, oceanography, or a related field.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Basic data analysis experience.

• Research experience in a field setting.
• Experience with field and laboratory analytical instrumentation including nutrient analyzers, spectrophotometers, TOC/TN analyzers, elemental analyzers, and/or gas chromatographs.
• Experience with measurements of the carbon, iron, sulfur, and nitrogen cycles.
• Experience with data QA/QC.
• Data management experience.

Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include,…