Junior Research Scientist - Research Aquarist

Allocation Assist Middle East; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation allowance

Educational assistance for dependents

Access to health and wellness services

Support for research activities

Support for dual-career families

Job summary

New York University Abu Dhabi invites applications for a Junior Research Scientist - Research Aquarist to support Mubadala ACCESS. The role centers on operating and maintaining experimental aquaria and mesocosm systems to enable studies on coral and fish under environmental stress.

Working under Prof. John Burt, you will contribute to ecophysiology, marine ecology, genomics, and environmental science, with emphasis on aquarium operations and data support for ongoing research programs.

Qualifications

• Experience running, maintaining, and modifying research aquaria.
• A valid driver's license is required.
• Bachelor's degree in Biology, Marine Biology, or related field preferred.
• Master's degree with less than five years of experience encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Operate and manage experimental research aquaria across a range of sizes.
• Maintain closed and other aquarium systems used for experimental research.
• Manage aquarium lighting and environmental control systems.
• Operate air and mixed-gas supply systems.
• Maintain heaters, chillers, and associated temperature-control equipment.
• Support plumbing installation, modification, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
• Contribute to tank and sump design and modification.
• Operate and maintain aquarium life-support systems.
• Support disease control and management for aquatic organisms.
• Monitor aquarium conditions and troubleshoot technical problems.
• Assist researchers with experimental aquarium and mesocosm requirements.
• Collect, record, and manage aquarium-based research data.
• Support experimental studies investigating coral and fish responses to environmental stress.

Skills

Aquarium environmental control systems

Plumbing and aquarium infrastructure

Tank and sump design

Aquarium system maintenance

Apex Neptune Systems

Life-support systems

Technical troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Biology / Marine Biology

Master's degree with <5 years experience

Job description

Job Snapshot

Role: Junior Research Scientist - Research Aquarist

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Industry: Higher Education

Function: Research

Experience: Demonstrated research aquarium experience; Master 's degree candidates should have less than 5 years of experience

Job Type: Full Time

Position Overview

New York University Abu Dhabi is seeking a Junior Research Scientist - Research Aquarist to join the Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences (Mubadala ACCESS) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The position supports a growing experimental ecophysiology research program studying coral and fish responses to environmental stress. Working under the supervision of Prof. John Burt, the successful candidate will operate and maintain experimental aquarium and mesocosm systems while supporting interdisciplinary marine research spanning ecophysiology, marine ecology, genomics, molecular biology, and environmental science.

Job Details

Country: UAE

City: Abu Dhabi

Industry: Higher Education

Function: Research

Salary: Not disclosed

Gender: No Preference

Candidate Nationality: Not specified

Job Type: Full Time

Work Arrangement: On-site Research Role NYU Abu Dhabi is expanding its experimental aquarium and mesocosm infrastructure to support a growing community of experimental researchers. The Research Aquarist will have a core technical role in maintaining these systems and ensuring they can support controlled studies of marine organisms and environmental stress. The position combines aquarium operations, life-support management, environmental controls, technical troubleshooting, aquatic organism care, and research data support.

Key Responsibilities

• Operate and manage experimental research aquaria across a range of sizes.
• Maintain closed and other aquarium systems used for experimental research.
• Manage aquarium lighting and environmental control systems.
• Operate air and mixed-gas supply systems.
• Maintain heaters, chillers, and associated temperature-control equipment.
• Support plumbing installation, modification, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
• Contribute to tank and sump design and modification.
• Operate and maintain aquarium life-support systems.
• Support disease control and management for aquatic organisms.
• Monitor aquarium conditions and troubleshoot technical problems.
• Assist researchers with experimental aquarium and mesocosm requirements.
• Collect, record, and manage aquarium-based research data.
• Support experimental studies investigating coral and fish responses to environmental stress.

Required Experience and Skills

Candidates should demonstrate practical experience running, maintaining, and modifying research aquaria, including experience with closed and other aquarium systems.

• Aquarium environmental control systems.
• Plumbing and aquarium infrastructure.
• Tank and sump design.
• Aquarium system maintenance and modification.
• Apex Neptune Systems.
• Life-support systems.
• Technical troubleshooting.

A valid driver 's license is required.

Preferred Qualifications

A Bachelor 's degree in Biology, Marine Biology, or a related field is preferred. Candidates with a Master 's degree and less than five years of experience are also encouraged to apply.

• Research or academic aquarium systems.
• Boat-based fieldwork.
• Diving-based marine fieldwork.
• Coral spawning.
• Larval fish husbandry.
• Coral reef restoration.
• Coral nurseries.
• SCUBA diving certification.

Research Environment

The successful candidate will work with Prof. John Burt, head of the NYU Abu Dhabi Marine Biology Lab and Director of Mubadala ACCESS, while supporting researchers from multiple scientific disciplines. The research environment integrates coral and fish ecophysiology with marine ecology, genomics, molecular biology, and environmental science. The expanding aquarium and mesocosm facilities provide experimental infrastructure for studying marine organisms and their responses to changing environmental conditions.

Employment and Benefits

NYU Abu Dhabi states that the position includes a competitive salary and benefits.

• Relocation allowance.
• Educational assistance for dependents.
• Access to health and wellness services.
• Support for research activities.
• Support for dual-career families.

About New York University Abu Dhabi

New York University Abu Dhabi is a comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in Abu Dhabi and part of NYU 's global university network. The university combines undergraduate education with advanced research and scholarship across science, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. NYU Abu Dhabi 's international academic community includes students from more than 120 countries speaking over 100 languages. Together with NYU 's campuses in New York and Shanghai, the university supports multidisciplinary research, international academic collaboration, and knowledge creation within a globally connected academic environment.