Field Research Technician for GLACIER / Research Assistant II

Field Research Technician for GLACIER

The Field Research Technician will:

Coordinate day-to-day field and greenhouse experiments related to plant responses to climate stress.

Assist with the construction, installation, testing, and maintenance of GLACIER infrastructure, including rainout shelters, heating arrays, flooding platforms, irrigation systems, and sensor networks.

Manage seasonal field operations, including planting, plot maintenance, irrigation, treatment imposition, sampling, and harvest.

Collect plant physiological, phenotypic, and environmental data, including measurements related to growth, water status, photosynthesis, stress responses, and yield.

Maintain organized records of experimental treatments, sensor outputs, field notes, sample metadata, and data collection protocols.

Develop and implement standard operating procedures for GLACIER field experiments, infrastructure use, data collection, and shared facility access.

Coordinate with PRI faculty, students, postdocs, staff, farm staff, and collaborators to support ongoing GLACIER projects.

Assist with equipment troubleshooting, data quality control, and routine maintenance of field research systems.

Mentor undergraduate assistants, hourly staff, or student researchers involved in field data collection, as needed.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to work outdoors under variable weather conditions and perform physical tasks associated with field research.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary research team.
• Understanding and ability to strictly comply with policies and procedures of MSU, the College, and relevant administrative offices.
• Skill in critical thinking, fact-finding, problem analysis, problem resolution, and the development of concrete action plans to solve problems.
• Ability to gather, analyze, and present facts, communicate effectively (both orally and in writing), using tact and courtesy, and ability to plan, organize work, and meet deadlines.

Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Plant Biology, Crop and Soil Sciences, Horticulture, Ecology, Environmental Science, Biology, Engineering, or related science field; three to five years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in overseeing research projects and laboratory operations, operating and maintaining a variety of laboratory equipment, performing specialized and difficult analytical and research techniques, and designing research experiments in conducting field, greenhouse, laboratory, or controlled-environment research or an area related to research being performed; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 

Master’s degree in plant biology, crop science, environmental science, ecology, engineering, or a related field.

Experience with plant stress physiology, agronomy, field phenotyping, irrigation systems, environmental sensors, or climate manipulation experiments.

Experience collecting or managing physiological data, environmental sensor data, or high-throughput phenotyping data.

Experience with basic data organization, spreadsheets, R, Python, or other data analysis tools.

Experience with field equipment, construction, instrumentation, or troubleshooting mechanical and electrical systems.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Cover letter

Resume/CV

Name and contact information for two professional references

For inquiries about the position, contact Dr. Robert VanBuren at vanbur31@msu.edu.

Review of applications will begin on August 5, 2026 and continue until the position has been filled.

STANDARD 8-5

This is an off date position funded for one year from date of hire with possible extension contingent upon funding renewal.

https://plantresilience.msu.edu/

Advertised: Jul 22, 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: Jul 28, 2026 Eastern Daylight Time

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