Senior Marine Invertebrate Research Associate - 140290
Listed on 2026-08-08
-
Research/Development
Research Scientist -
Science
Research Scientist
Payroll
Title:
SRA 3
Department: MARINE BIOLOGY
Hiring Pay Scale: $75,448 - $97,556.67/ Annually
Worksite: SIO
Appointment Type: Career
Appointment Percent: 100%
Union: RX Contract
Total Openings: 1
Work Schedule: Days, 8 hrs/day, Mon-Fri
#140290 Senior Marine Invertebrate Research AssociateFiling Deadline:
Tue 8/18/2026
UC San Diego values and welcomes people from all backgrounds.
UCSD Layoff from Career Appointment:
Apply by 08/07/2026 for consideration with preference for rehire. All layoff applicants should contact their Employment Advisor.
Reassignment Applicants:
Eligible Reassignment clients should contact their Disability Counselor for assistance.
Under general supervision, assist in field sampling of marine invertebrates, sorting identifying, photography, subsampling and vouchering for Museums. Perform DNA extraction from a wide range of preserved and frozen marine invertebrate tissues. Amplify 'barcode' regions of DNA using PCR for these invertebrates as well as algae extractions provided from other laboratories. Prepare products for DNA barcoding using Sanger or alternative methods of sequencing (Min Ion, Illumina) and troubleshoot technical issues to ensure high-quality results.
Evaluate DNA sequence data, assess sequence identity, and assemble sequences using Geneious software. Submit barcode sequences to BOLD (with specimen images) and Gen Bank Perform . Perform species delimitation analyses to guide choice of genome skimming targets. For next-generation sequencing (NGS) genome skimming, assess DNA quantity and amplify extractions (Genomiphi) if needed. Analyze genome skimming data for assembling mitochondrial genomes with annotation and nuclear loci such as 18S rRNA.
Submit to Gen Bank and deal with troubleshooting issues to ensure verified status of mitogenomes. Contribute to data interpretation for phylogenetic and population genetic analyses, distribution maps, organize sequences, and maintain comprehensive tracking systems and databases. Provide regular updates and summaries of results for monthly reporting meetings. Coordinate with Museum collections on taxonomy and names of sequences and update databases as needed.
Provide guidance and training to other research associates.
Bachelor’s degree in natural sciences such as Biology, Marine Biology, Oceanography or a comparable discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Master's degree preferred.
Knowledge of marine invertebrate diversity and taxonomy. Ability to collect, sort photograph and process intertidal specimens for DNA and vouchering to Museums.
Theoretical knowledge and practice in phylogenetic analysis of sequence data.
Proficiency in DNA extraction from a variety of tissue types and assessment of sample quality.
Experience in DNA quantification and analysis for sequencing readiness.
Experience in PCR method and PCR products for various methods of DNA barcode sequencing.
Experience in DNA barcode sequence assembly and analysis using Geneious or similar bioinformatics software and uploading to BOLD and Gen Bank.
Experience in checking sequences using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) and other bioinformatic tools, with independent interpretation of results.
Experience in species delimitation, construction of haplotype networks and making maps in R
Sound theoretical knowledge and practice in next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis pipelines, particularly mitochondrial genome assembly and annotation.
Ability to troubleshoot next-generation sequencing (NGS) data.
Experience in uploading to Gen Bank and obtaining verified status for organelle genomes
Assist in training other research associates in standard lab methodologies and software.
Strong ability to maintain accurate and organized records, including lab notebooks, spreadsheets, and database entries.
Experience and ability to submit jobs within high-performance computing environments (HPC).
Ability to fix complex job submission errors, node failures, and resource contention issues within HPC environments.
Experience with Python making use of additional mitochondrial assembly and upload programs, including sequencing coverage plots.
Ab…
(If this job is in fact in your jurisdiction, then you may be using a Proxy or VPN to access this site, and to progress further, you should change your connectivity to another mobile device or PC).