Research Associate 1 – Laboratory Manager

About the role

The Cnidarian Immunity Laboratory at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science seeks a Research Associate 1 to serve as the laboratory manager. This hands‑on position oversees daily scientific operations, maintains equipment, trains students, and ensures a safe, organized, and compliant research environment.

Key responsibilities

• Maintain, calibrate, and troubleshoot laboratory equipment; manage service contracts and repair records.
• Organize lab space, reagents, samples, and freezer inventories; develop systems for shared resources.
• Order supplies, track budgets, manage vendor relationships, and process purchasing paperwork.
• Train and supervise undergraduate researchers in cell culture, molecular biology, and general lab techniques.
• Diagnose and resolve technical problems with protocols, instruments, and experiments.
• Ensure chemical and biological safety compliance, waste disposal, and documentation in coordination with University EH&S.

Required profile

• B.S. in biology, marine biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, or a related field.
• Two years of hands‑on laboratory experience preferred.
• Strong time‑management, collaborative attitude, and ability to respond to urgent lab issues.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills; comfortable with record‑keeping.

Required skills

• Cell culture and microscopy.
• Nucleic acid extraction, PCR/qPCR, and gel electrophoresis.
• Library or sample preparation for genomics workflows.
• Equipment calibration, maintenance, and inventory management.
• Ordering supplies and managing budgets.
• Safety compliance and waste disposal procedures.
• Basic computational skills (R, Python) for data organization.