Research Technologist

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process . Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants .Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants .This position is funded for 1 year(s); continuation past 1 year(s) will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

POSITION SPECIFICS The Department of Entomology at Penn State seeks to hire a Research Technologist to oversee multi-site research experiments testing the efficacy of monitoring and management techniques for an invasive pest species. The successful candidate will be expected to engage with multiple external stakeholders (including growers, pesticide manufacturers, park managers, business, etc.) to identify sites at risk of experiencing the invasive pests where research experiments can be conducted;

to elicit these stakeholders to become external cooperators upon whose properties experiments can be conducted; and to serve as the point of contact to coordinate research activities with these cooperators throughout the course of the research study at that site.

The successful candidate will:

Use experience with IPM and expertise as a licensed pesticide applicator to provide guidance to identify, select, and apply (or advise growers in their application of) pesticides being tested in research efficacy trials, and ensure their appropriateness with existing IPM programs and that they are used in compliance with Pennsylvania and other partnering states’ legal restrictions, and any industry restrictions.

Help design, review, and revise procedures involved with execution of research experiments conducted by project collaborators (i.e., grant funded partner universities in neighboring states and USDA, industry specialists, etc.) to ensure standardization of all aspects of a study’s execution across all replicated sites.

Serve a liaison with collaborators to oversee data collection, management, and reporting, and will trouble-shoot methods and findings to ensure project objectives are achieved.

Contribute to writing papers, manuscripts, publications, and factsheets, and will present project findings to meetings of stakeholders and at other professional meetings.

This position requires a driver's license and a Pennsylvania pesticide applicator license.

Applicants with experience managing large field-based research projects, and with experience in conducting research and management on invasive pest species, particularly the spotted lantern fly, are especially welcome.

Seeking candidates with Pesticide Applicator License, category 6 and 7, for ability to treat surrounding areas.

MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS Bachelor's Degree3+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted

Required

Certifications:

None BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. This position requires that you operate a motor vehicle as a part of your job duties. A valid driver’s license and successful completion of a motor vehicle records check…