Research Specialist

University of North Carolina Wilmington

Research Specialist

Job Posting Date
03/10/2023

Posting Close Date
04/02/2023

Position Number
8322

Recruitment Range
$49,550-$55,000

Benefits of Working at UNCW
Want to become a soaring UNCW Seahawk and work at one of the best universities on the East Coast? Want to put your toes in the sand after a day of work? The University of North Carolina Wilmington offers a wonderfully vibrant university community along with a beautiful location just miles from the beach.
 
Employees of UNCW are provided a comprehensive benefits package as well as other programs, resources, policies, and practices that help to support a work/life balance. Our programs have been designed to provide a variety of choices to best fit your needs and the needs of your family. Full time employees are eligible for dental, vision and health insurance plans. Health insurance benefit plans eligibility begins on the first of the month following date of hire. Retirement plan contributions begin on the eligibility date following election and include employer contributions for either a defined contribution or a defined benefit plan. Optional disability plans are also available.
 
 Full time employees are also eligible for the tuition waiver program which covers the cost of tuition and fees for up to three (3) undergraduate or graduate courses per academic year at UNCW or any other university within the UNC System. In addition, UNCW covers the cost of tuition and fees for one UNCW course each summer session.  
 

As a full time employee, UNCW also offers a free membership to the Campus Recreation Center, free vaccine and booster shots offered on campus, meditation and yoga sessions, voluntary supplemental insurance coverages, pretax flexible spending accounts, 12 paid holidays, 24 hours of paid community service leave time, paid vacation and sick leave accrual and family medical leave after 12 months of continuous service.
 
We also offer an abundance of training and development programs through our Dare to Learn Academy, Skillport, and the employee assistance program, many of which are offered free of charge. 

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit
The University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Center for Marine Science (CMS) is recognized both nationally and internationally for conducting research that contributes to the understanding of environmental processes and problems. CMS strives to engage communities to address societal issues and promote use-inspired innovations.

Through research, education, and outreach, the Center strives to increase knowledge about coastal and marine sciences and cultivate community engagement in coastal resilience. This includes a variety of fields such as physical oceanography; marine and coastal biology; marine, atmospheric, and natural products chemistry; marine geology; aquaculture; environmental sciences, marine policy, human health, and sociology. Currently, there are more than 100 active research programs supported by CMS and over 140 scientists, staff, and students broadly associated with the unit. The teaching and research facility located on the Intracoastal Waterway in southeastern North Carolina features state-of-the-art core facilities in spectrometry and spectroscopy, light stable isotopes, biotechnology, aquaculture, DNA and water quality analysis, as well as running seawater systems, a coastal workboat fleet and a wide range of oceanographic equipment that are available to all CMS researchers. CMS supports educational programs related to marine science, including the Applied Coastal and Ocean Science Ph.D. program and MS Marine Science degree, as well as courses and students from various marine science-related academic departments across the breadth of UNCW. It also supports several outreach entities, including NC Sea Grant, the NC National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Marine Quest, among others.

The Center supports a number of expensive and highly technical pieces of instrumentation. The Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry core facility houses two Thermo Delta V Plus stable isotope mass spectrometers, five peripheral devices (Thermo GC-Isolink II, Thermo Gasbench II, Costech 4010 Elemental Analyzer, Thermo Flash TC-EA, Thermo EA-Isolink), and supporting instrumentation including ultra-high precision microbalances and a Thermo 1310 GC outfitted with a single quadrupole mass selective detector and flame ionization detector.

College/School Information
The University of North Carolina Wilmington, the state’s coastal university, is dedicated to the integration of teaching, mentoring, research and service. Widely acknowledged for its world-class faculty and staff and continuously recognized at a national level for scholarly excellence and affordability, UNCW offers a powerful academic experience that stimulates creative inquiry and critical thinking and a community rich in diversity, inclusion and global perspectives.

A public institution with nearly 18,000 students, UNCW offers a full range of baccalaureate- and graduate-level programs, as well as doctoral degrees in educational leadership, marine biology, nursing practice and psychology; and many distance learning options, including clinical research, an accelerated RN-to-BSN program, an Executive M.B.A. program structured for working professionals, and the nation’s only bachelor’s degree program focused on coastal engineering.

The university’s efforts to advance research and scholarly activities have earned UNCW the elevated designation of “Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity” institution (R2 University) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

UNCW has been part of the University of North Carolina System since 1969.

Brief Summary of Work for this Position
The Research Specialist is responsible for handling isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) sample analysis, maintaining equipment, interfacing with students and faculty regarding analysis, training, and interpretation of data. This Research Specialist is in charge of the day to day operations of the facility.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in a discipline related to the area of assignment + 1 year of directly related experience; or equivalent combination of training and/or related experience. All degrees must bereceived from appropriately accredited institutions.

Preferred education, professional skills and experience

• Masters Degree 
• Experience with stable isotopic sample prep, analysis, and data processing 
• Experience operating and maintain a gas chromatograph
• Experience with Thermo branded instruments and software

Special Notes to Applicants
PLEASE NOTE: This posting will close at 11:59PM (Eastern time) on the posted closing date. To receive full consideration, please be sure you have fully completed the entire application, including the ‘Work History’ section before you apply for this position. Failure to answer all required questions will cause the system to disqualify your application. Applications must be submitted through the online application system to be considered.

This position is being recruited at the Journey level. If no applicants apply who meet the required competency and training & experience requirements, then management may consider other applicants. Salary would be determined based on competencies, equity, budget, and market considerations.

EEO Statement
At the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), our culture reflects our values of inclusion, diversity, globalization, ethics and integrity and innovation and we are committed to providing equality of educational and employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, sex (such as gender, gender identity, marital status, childbirth, and pregnancy), age, color, national origin (including ethnicity), religion, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, veteran status, military service member status, genetic information, or relationship to other university constituents – except where sex, age, or ability represent bona fide educational or occupational qualifications or where marital status is a statutorily established eligibility criterion for State funded employee benefit programs. UNCW believes that embracing the unique contributions of our faculty, staff and students is critical to our success and paramount in being recognized for our global mindset.

Eligibility for Employment
Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. UNC Wilmington participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

External Link to Posting
https://jobs.uncw.edu/postings/27937