Casual Appointment - Assist Principal Investigator

Job Summary

Assist Principal Investigator achieve the objectives of plant pathology research and extension activities which focus on fungal disease identification and management in heirloom tomato and sweet potato production. Also assist with other on-going projects in the lab, greenhouse and field.

The Casual Worker is expected to perform assigned duties in a professional, reliable, and courteous manner while maintaining confidentiality, following university policies, and balancing work responsibilities with academic commitments.

Essential Job Functions, Duties, and Responsibilities:

• Assist with greenhouse experiments.
• Assist with field research activities (maintaining field plots, data collection, data entry, harvesting).
• Assist with laboratory activities (organization, media preparation, processing diseased plant samples, pathogen isolation, culturing pathogens, pathogen identification, pathogen storage, microscopy, nucleic acid.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in agriculture with research experience in plant pathology.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in agriculture, with research experience in plant pathology.
• Hardworking and dependable and with interest in plant pathology research and extension.
• Willing to learn and able to work independent.
• Have a valid driver's license.
• Previous field research and extension experience preferred 

Physical Demands:

• Work in an office environment with minimal exposure to physical work.
• Light lifting during harvesting, field management practices with some light lifting of materials in laboratory and/or greenhouse. 
• Able to sit for extended periods for some laboratory research activities.