Research Associate

Job Posting Title: Research Associate ---- Hiring Department: Molecular Biosciences ---- Position Open To: All Applicants ---- Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40 ---- FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA ---- Earliest Start Date: Immediately ---- Position Duration: Expected to Continue Until Jun 26, 2027 ---- Location: AUSTIN, TX ---- Job Details: Purpose The Research Associate will conduct independent and collaborative research in molecular biology, genetics, and genomics to support the laboratory's research program. The position is responsible for experimental design, data generation and analysis, manuscript preparation, and mentoring junior laboratory personnel while contributing to the overall scientific direction and productivity of the research group. Responsibilities Assists the faculty and other collaborators, or may act independently, in planning and designing research experiments; establishing priorities and recommending schedules, time tables and costs. Data collection, processing and analysis Effectively uses available technology to facilitate the success of the project. Engaged in benchwork and writing of technical publications and reports. Liaisons with outside collaborators, and others to ensure success of project. May supervise classified staff, graduate assistants, or student employees. Operates specialized scientific equipment. Performs statistical analyses, including selecting the appropriate analysis procedure, setting up data for analysis, judging validity and reliability of data, designing and writing programs to perform analyses, and producing written reports on the result of the analyses. Presentation of project results to internal and external parties. Required Qualifications Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Genetics, Plant Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, or a closely related field. Demonstrated experience in designing and conducting independent research projects. Extensive hands-on experience with molecular biology, genetics, genomics, and biochemical techniques. Experience with data analysis, statistical methods, and scientific programming or bioinformatics tools. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including a record of peer-reviewed publications. Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment. Excellent organizational and Experience operating and maintaining specialized laboratory instrumentation. Preferred Qualifications Postdoctoral research experience in molecular biology, genetics, epigenetics, genomics, or a related field. Experience with next-generation sequencing (RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, Hi-C, or related technologies). Experience with CRISPR/Cas genome editing and transgenic organism development. Experience using R, Python, or other statistical and computational analysis tools. Experience supervising or mentoring graduate students, undergraduate researchers, or research staff. Demonstrated success in preparing manuscripts, grant applications, and scientific presentations. Experience managing multiple collaborative research projects simultaneously. Experience working in plant molecular biology or chromatin/epigenetics research is desirable. Salary Range $60,782 Working Conditions Uniforms and/or personal protection equipment (furnished). May work around chemical fumes. May work around standard office conditions. May work around biohazards. May work around chemicals. Required Materials Resume/CV 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor Letter of interest Important   for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers:  You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes. Important for Current university employees and contingent workers:  As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above. ---- Employment Eligibility: Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval. ---- Retirement Plan Eligibility: The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. ---- Background Checks: A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position. ---- Equal Opportunity Employer: The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all