Summer Part-Time Research Assistant-Tooker Lab
Part-timePenn State University
State College, PAPart-timePosted 2y agoStill listed today
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Job overview
The Tooker Lab in Penn State’s Department of Entomology is hiring summer research assistants to support graduate students and faculty on new and ongoing projects. Research focuses on crop-pest management, cover crops, plant defenses, and agrochemical effects on aquatic insects. Assistants will work in greenhouse, laboratory, and field settings, gaining experience and increasing independence over time. Interest in animals, plants, and agriculture is welcome but not required.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
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CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
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CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
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If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.
Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.
JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS: The Tooker Lab in the Department of Entomology at Penn State, University Park is now accepting applications for summer research assistant positions to work 40 hours per week for up to 16 weeks over the summer. The position is set to begin in early May 2024 and continue into August, but start and end dates are negotiable. Our research group studies ecology of plants, plant-feeding insects and slugs, and spiders and predatory insects in agricultural and natural systems. Our projects this summer will focus on:
- Ecologically-based management (e.g., biological control) of crop pests
- The role of cover crops in pest control
- Plants that can "smell" their attackers and then defend themselves
- The influence of agrochemicals on aquatic insect communities
This position is based in State College over the summer. Successful applicants will be paid a competitive hourly wage and will help graduate students and faculty with their new and ongoing research projects. We conduct greenhouse, lab, and field experiments and assistants will gain experience in different types of research techniques and systems. As assistants gain experience, they will gain more independence in their responsibilities. Interest in animals, plants, and agriculture are welcome but not required. We are looking for a diverse group of summer assistants who are curious and motivated with desire to learn new details about the world around us!
The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability in all of its forms. We embrace individual uniqueness, foster a culture of inclusion that supports both broad and specific diversity initiatives, leverage the educational and institutional benefits of diversity in society and nature, and engage all individuals to help them thrive. We value inclusion as a core strength and an essential element of our public service mission.
CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS: Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.
Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.
EEO IS THE LAW Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.
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University Park, PA
How this job compares
Set against the 681 open Research Assistant jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.
- Pay
- This postingNot listed
- US median$47–60K/yr84 salary ranges
- Pennsylvania median$12–16/hr38 hourly ranges
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 78 open Research Assistant jobs in Pennsylvania and 681 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Pennsylvania
- Experience
- Research Assistant postings that state a minimum ask for 1 year of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 1 to 2 years (152 postings).
- Education
- 187 of the 681 open Research Assistant jobs (27%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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