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Research Associate II (Oyster Aquaculture)

University of Rhode Island • Full-time • Kingston, Rhode Island, United States • USD $55.13k / year • 2w ago

Position Information

Posting Number

SF02070

Job Title

Research Associate II (Oyster Aquaculture)

Position Number

107133

FTE

1.00

FLSA

Exempt

Position Type

Professional Staff

Union

PSA/NEA - Professional Staff Assoc

Pay Grade Level

Grade Level: 9

Pay Grade Range

Anticipated Hiring Salary: $55,127

Status

Calendar Year, Full-time, Limited

Department Information

Department

Biological Sciences

Contact(s)

Please note: Job applications must be submitted directly online only at: (https://jobs.uri.edu)

Contact Phone/Extension

Contact Email

Physical Demands

Campus Location

Kingston

Grant Funded

Yes

Extension Contingency Notes

This is a full time calendar year position, limited to 08/22/2026 with anticipated renewal.
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Job Description Summary

About URI:

The University of Rhode Island enrolls approximately 17,000 students across its graduate and undergraduate programs and is the State’s flagship public research university, as well as the land grant and sea grant university, for the state of Rhode Island. The main campus is located in the historic village of Kingston, and the Bay Campus is located in Narragansett. Both campuses are near major beaches in a beautiful coastal community. URI is just 30 minutes from Providence, RI and within easy reach of Newport, Boston, and New York City.
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THEOPPORTUNITYFOR A HYBRIDWORKSCHEDULE IS POSSIBLEAFTERSIXMONTHS.

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POSITIONSUMMARY:

Working in the USDA ARS National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center and the Marine Evolutionary Ecology Laboratory at URI, in a position funded by a Cooperative agreement, the Research Associate II will contribute to the USDA ARS Regional Northeast eastern oyster genetic improvement program and associated research projects benefiting the oyster aquaculture industry.

Duties and Responsibilities

KEYRESPONSIBILITIES:

Perform important independent research work under the occasional review of the Principal Investigator.

Lead the implementation and operation of flow through, quarantined seawater systems for oyster maintaining experimental oysters in the laboratory setting.

Lead the collection, organization, and QC of eastern performance data (growth, survival, disease acquisition, shell shape) for thousands of experimental oysters deployed at three oyster farms throughout New England. Implement high throughput methods for data collection using P4 software.

Lead the maintenance of and collection/curation of environmental data from loggers deployed at multiple field sites. Calibrate loggers with Kor software and conduct preliminary data analysis in WQDataLive.

Perform complex experiments, including large-scale oyster disease challenges, to assess levels of variation in disease resistance within eastern oyster breeding populations. These experiments require expertise in oyster husbandry, cell culture (for pathogen) and complex molecular biology-based assays for quantifying disease levels in oysters exposed to disease in the laboratory and in the field. Disease diagnostic tests require experience in DNA extraction and quantitation, PCR primer design, and the development/optimization of quantitative PCR assays.

These duties will be executed by the incumbent with occasional review of Principal Investigator.

OTHERDUTIESANDRESPONSIBILITIES:

Prepare formal reports of completed work. Present work to stakeholders and other interested parties.

Train and supervise graduate students and undergraduate interns to perform routine laboratory procedures.

Maintain technical equipment and devices.

Develop and follow safety protocols for specific research activities.

Perform other duties as required.

LICENSES, TOOLS, ANDEQUIPMENT:

Personal computers, printers and word processing, database management and spreadsheet software, R software for data analysis and visualization. Flow through and static seawater systems, aquaculture gear, environmental data sondes, calipers, laboratory equipment including pipettes, centrifuges, incubators, microscopes, balances, pH meters, autoclaves, DNA quantitation apparatus (nanodrop, qubit, tape station), traditional and quantitative PCR machines.
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The University of Rhode Island is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the University of Rhode Island to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability.

Required Qualifications

REQUIRED:

1. Master’s degree in Biological and Environmental Sciences or related field.

2. Minimum two combined years of experience in shellfish aquaculture, oyster husbandry in the laboratory, oyster performance evaluation, environmental data collection and analysis, and/or conducting molecular-based disease diagnostic techniques.

3. Minimum two years of experience in the field collecting wild oysters and working on oyster boats under varied environmental conditions.

4. Strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills.

5. Proficiency in written communication skills.

6. Supervisory experience.

7. Ability to work with diverse groups/populations.

Preferred Qualifications

Environmental Conditions

The incumbent is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

Posting Date

10/03/2025

Closing Date

10/17/2025

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please attach the following 3 (PDF) documents to your online Employment Application:

(#1) Cover letter.

(#2) Resume.

(#3) Transcripts (as one complete document).

PLEASENOTE: References will be upon request by the committee.