The Miller laboratory at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is recruiting a highly motivated individual to join our team as a full-time Laboratory Technician starting in spring or early summer 2023. Research in the Miller lab focuses on integrating diverse phenotyping approaches, genetics and statistical modeling to advance understanding of perennial plant diversity and evolution, and to optimize and expedite perennial crop development, with the goal of developing more sustainable agricultural systems. Candidates with experience in fieldwork, field- and lab-based phenotyping, statistics, genetics and genomics, and/or computational biology are highly encouraged to apply. For more information about our research program, please visit our website.

About the Position:

The Lab Technician duties will include local field work, data collection in field and greenhouse experiments, sample processing, data entry and organization, and statistics and computational biology. The Lab Technician will work closely with a dynamic research team that includes research scientists, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, undergraduate students, and high school students(https://www.perennialplantdiversity.org/). The technician will contribute to ongoing projects on expediting domestication of perennial crops for sustainable agriculture (https://foundationfar.org/news/ffar-grant-speeds-domestication-of-sustainable-crops/ and on investigating relationships between plant traits, plant communities, and the soil ecosphere (http://www.newrootsforrestoration.org), among others. The technician will also participate in mentoring student interns. Review of applications will begin February 3, 2023.

Responsibilities:

• Assist the research team in planting, harvesting, weeding, preparing seeds, maintaining field plots, tissue sampling, digging roots and other similar activities
• Care and management of plants in greenhouses/growth chambers
• Harvest, clean, and process samples
• Collect and analyze image data
• Enter and organize data
• Assist with data generation computational pipelines and statistical analysis
• Other duties as assigned, including general laboratory upkeep

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Aptitude for organization and multitasking, capacity to work both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary and interactive research environment
• Ability to shovel and lift moderate to heavy weights
• Capacity to perform data entry and maintain trait databases
• Demonstrates good record keeping and communication skills
• Ability to stand, bend and lift for prolonged periods of time in summer heat, work to be performed in a hot field and greenhouse
• Creative, resourceful contributor to plant biology and sustainable agriculture research
• Enthusiastic researcher with a strong work ethic and positive attitude, who is excited to work with large and diverse teams of researchers
• Lives the Danforth Center values: Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion, Innovation, Integrity & Respect, Environmental Sustainability, and Stewardship

Qualifications:

• Valid license to drive lab vehicles to bring materials and equipment to and from work sites/fields required
• Associates degree or high school graduate with 2 - 3 years of relevant lab experience

Submission:

• Cover letter describing interest in the position, field and lab based research experience, and skills
• Resume or CV
• Contact information for three (3) professional references

About the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center:

Founded in 1998, The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is an independent, non-profit organization with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Our focus is scientific research at the nexus of food, energy and the environment to improve the productivity and sustainability of agriculture. We assemble interactive teams of scientists and develop unique platforms to discover underlying principles about how plants work. We then convert that knowledge into useful crops and products, and partner with organizations that are best positioned to solve problems where they exist around the world. The Centers work is funded through competitive grants from many sources, including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and charitable contributions from individuals, companies, and foundations.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is proudly an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment decisions at the Danforth Center are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. It is our policy that the Danforth Center does not discriminate in employment opportunities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or national origin and status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities. As a federal contractor, the Danforth Center is required to comply with the 2021 Executive Order mandating full vaccination status of employees by December 8, 2021 unless the employee is legally entitled to an accommodation due to physical disability or sincerely held religious belief. If you need reasonable accommodation to access the information provided on this web site, please contact Human Resources, at 314-587-1033 for further assistance.