Research Technician

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• This position is an on‑site position which requires the incumbent to complete their work primarily at an NAU site, campus, or facility with or without accommodation. Opportunities for remote work are rare.
• This position is subject to the availability of funding. The incumbent is not eligible for Service Professional non‑renewal notice, or Classified Staff layoff or recall status.

NAU's School of Forestry offers unmatched access to one of the most ecologically diverse regions in the country. With nearly 47,000 acres of research forest just outside Flagstaff and a strong faculty‑to‑student ratio, you’ll learn by doing: collecting data, managing ecosystems, and exploring solutions to the environmental challenges of today and tomorrow. Join forestry‑focused student organizations, connect with peers and mentors, and apply for one of 50+ dedicated scholarships that support your academic journey.

The School of Forestry is seeking a laboratory technician to support ongoing soils research at Northern Arizona University in partnership with the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station. The technician will process soil and water samples, maintain laboratory instruments, and review data to address questions related to forest productivity, soil health, and post‑fire ecosystem restoration. The successful applicant will work collaboratively as part of a team of researchers to produce datasets for use by the larger research team, the public, other scientists, and managers.

This position is based in Flagstaff, AZ.

• Process soil, sediment, or water samples following established protocols.
• Enter data into manual forms or digital spreadsheets or databases.
• Compile electronic data to create long‑term records.
• Maintain laboratory equipment, facilities, and provide training to safely conduct laboratory operations.

• Review soils data for use in studies or reports.
• Follow established protocols to append and plot data to identify and document regular and unusual events and correct errors where causes can be identified.
• Furnish data to various internal or external research entities.

• Coordinate work with supervisor and Forest Service partners.
• Prioritize work assignments based on resource availability and partner needs.

• Assist other researchers and partners in planning and implementing current and new research experiments, establishing priorities across research objectives, and recommending methods, schedules, timelines, and staffing levels.
• Work with NAU and partner staff, graduate assistants, and student employees.

• Other duties as assigned.

Bachelor’s degree in hydrology, forestry, geology, environmental science, watershed science, soil science, engineering, chemistry, ecology, or related field that is conferred upon hire. A combination of related education, experience, and training may be used as an equivalent to the above Minimum Qualifications.

• Experience in the use, servicing, calibrating, and repairing of laboratory equipment for the analysis of water, soil, and sediment samples.
• Skill in applying and developing standardized rules, procedures, or methods in analytical sample analysis and data processing.
• Experience operating Elementar Vario MAX cube to measure soil C and N concentrations.
• Experience operating Thermo Scientific iCAP PRO X ICP‑OES to measure trace minerals, metals, and cations in water and soil extracts.
• Experience operating Dionex Aquion IC to measure anions in water using ion chromatography.
• Experience operating FIAlabs FLEX Flow Injection Analysis to measure nutrients in water and soil extracts.
• Experience operating Mantech MT‑30 for automated measurements of pH and EC.
• Experience operating Malvern Mastersizer 3000 for soil particle size analysis.
• Demonstrated experience working in a collaborative setting.
• Experience developing and practicing laboratory safety measures.

• Knowledge of the principles and techniques of soil science, hydrology, and experimental design.
• Experience working with soils data.

• Laboratory soil, water, or sediment processing.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing laboratory instruments used for soil and water measurements.
• Laboratory data collection, processing, review, and analysis.