Class Code:.........0232

Position #:(NUNC).......

Developed by:.........SG

Reviewed by:.........CAO

Approved by:............

Date:...............4/94

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

Position Description

TITLE: Assistant Marine Research Scientist

DIVISION: Academic Affairs (GSO - MERL)

REPORTS TO: Principal Investigator/Professor

GRADE: 14

SUPERVISES: Professional research staff; graduate students

BASIC FUNCTION:

Conduct scientific marine research at a level of skill usually associated with an assistant professor of oceanography.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Develop research proposals, write reports and journal articles, and make professional presentations.

Manage field program for water quality and primary productivity in Massachusetts Bay.

Manage and participate in enclosure experiments such as: pollutant impact experiments, environmental chemistry experiments, and climate trend experiments; analyze data utilizing appropriate statistics graphics procedures and modeling approaches.

Manage and participate in analysis of data for the EPA Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program.

Develop and manage a benthic fauna sampling program.

Be on emergency call nights and weekends for the research facility and/or experiments.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Give MERL tours.

Guide graduate student research; provide guidance to professional staff on use of microcomputers, software, statistical procedures and modeling approaches.

Participate in field and experimental sampling.

Perform other duties as required.

LICENSES, TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT:

Microcomputers and software for statistical analyses and for modeling; small boat; four-wheel drive truck; SCUBA and the following: box-cores, benthic grabs, fish trawls, seines, nutrient autoanalyzer, fluorometer, pH meters, oxygen titrators, scintillation counters, carbon analyzers, microscopes.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

This position is exposed to adverse environmental conditions, including difficult field conditions at sea, exposure to hazardous waste sites and use of radioactive tracers.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Ph.D. in environmental science required, preferably systems ecology, biology or chemistry. Experience in field research in marine or aquatic environments required; expertise in benthic studies preferred. Familiarity with sampling procedures for N, P, Si, C, as well as sampling procedures for primary productivity, including C-14, oxygen, carbon dioxide by bottle incubation, and whole system measurements preferred. Must have knowledge of microcomputers, software for statistical analyses, and software for modeling. Skills in data analyses, professional writing, and professional presentation preferred. Must have strong verbal and interpersonal communication skills. Must be able to be on emergency call nights and weekends, and to endure adverse environmental conditions, including difficult field conditions at sea, exposure to hazardous waste sites and use of radioactive tracers.

ALL REQUIREMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE MODIFICATION TO REASONABLY ACCOMMODATE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.