Ocean Career: WHOI Research Assistant

Temporary Research Assistant in the Hahn Lab

We are looking for a temporary, casual, Research Assistant to assist with a field/laboratory project on gene-environment interactions in estuarine fish. We need someone to work from June 24th to August 16th 2024. The work would be on-site at the lab of our collaborator at the US EPA in Narragansett, RI, where the experiments are being performed. The Research Assistant must be a hard-working and able to work independently without close supervision.

This position demands attention to detail as well as diligence. The Research Assistant will be participating in a project to investigate how short and long-term exposure to environmental contaminants affects heart development and fish-microbe interactions (microbiomes) in the estuarine fish Fundulus heteroclitus (mummichog or Atlantic killifish). The Research Assistant would assist a graduate student with experiments involving breeding of fish to produce embryos, exposure of the embryos to contaminants, and microscopic assessment of embryonic development and developmental deformities.

The work involves breeding specific genetic crosses from four fish populations, experimental treatments of the embryos, microscopic scoring of phenotypes, video capture of developmental features, and some data analysis. Because of the short time frame, which precludes extensive training, we are looking someone with prior experience with all of these procedures.

The project on which the research assistant would be working is part of a collaborative grant between researchers at WHOI, University of California at Davis, and the US Environmental Protection Agency laboratory in Narragansett, RI.

Research Assistant I: With close supervision, uses established laboratory procedures to perform prescribed research tasks determined by field of study and scope of individual research project.

• Assists in collecting project data as directed;
• Prepares data or material for analysis or presentation using standard research techniques;
• Processes and analyzes data according to established technical procedures;
• Maintains records related to the research and/or research equipment.

Research Assistant II: With some supervision, employs established laboratory procedures, standard equipment, and fundamental concepts to conduct research tasks determined by field of study and scope of individual research project.

• Executes designated research tasks, making use of selected laboratory experiments, equipment, field work, library research, data acquisition and processing, statistical analyses or other investigative techniques;
• Organizes and summarizes acquired data, using scientific and statistical techniques including computer programs;
• Organizes and/or drafts material for the preparation of research papers, manuscripts, or other documents for publication and/or presentation;
• Participates in the design of experiments or field work.

• Bachelor's degree in Biology, Toxicology, Environmental Science, or a closely related discipline is required.
• Experience in killifish husbandry, microscopy, and developmental phenotyping of fish embryos is required.

Physical duties for this position include but are not limited to occasional standing and/or walking, along with being mostly and continuously sedentary. Other occupational requirements include talking, traveling, working around others, and with others. Physical duties are subject to change.