Research Engineering/Scientist Associate I

Assist graduate students, research scientists, and faculty members with research experiments related to plant-microbiome interactions. This will often involve working with plants grown in growth chambers, greenhouses, and the field. Experiments may involve studies evaluating synthetic microbial communities and studies engineering microbial communities for improved plant growth.Specific tasks may include isolation and cultivating plant associated microbes, molecular cloning, functional studies of plant genes by analyzing mutants, using established protocols to extract genomic DNA or total RNA in a high throughout manner, and preparing libraries using these samples for next generation sequencing.Assist with data archiving, filtering, and basic bioinformatics analyses when possible.Ensure the laboratory adheres to compliance standards, biosafety regulations, and fire safety codes. Arrange shipments of biological materials involved in research. Contribute to lab outreach activities. Attend weekly lab meeting. Manage and coordinate lab resources including maintaining a clean workplace, organizing and maintaining freezers, stocking reagents, etc.Driving a UT owned or personally owned vehicle is an essential function of the position.Supervise and train undergraduate students to conduct laboratory and greenhouse experiments.