Bee Microbiome Research Technician

University of California - Davis; Davis (CA); On-site; USD 51,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

UC Davis seeks a Junior Specialist in the Chiu Lab to support bee-mung interactions research, including bee rearing, field sampling, and fungal culture work. The role involves recording data, maintaining cultures, and assisting with manuscript preparation under supervision.

Candidates should be organized, detail-oriented, and capable of handling sterile techniques, insect rearing, and microbiome-related workflows.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor of Science or equivalent in Biology, Entomology, Ecology or related field.
• Entry level position; advanced degrees or extensive experience are not required.

Responsibilities

• Assist with sampling solitary bee nests in field studies at UC campuses and approved sites.
• Support experiments on bee responses to fungal infection and insect rearing.
• Maintain fungal cultures and assist with tissue extraction and inoculum prep.
• Prepare and organize data, figures, and records for publications and talks.
• Participate in lab meetings and contribute to project planning and updates.
• Read relevant literature to help plan new experiments and directions.
• Assist in manuscript preparation, including writing sections and preparing figures.
• Help maintain sterile work areas, growth chambers, and chemical inventories.

Skills

Solitary bees experience

Sterile technique

Microbiome assessment

Fungal culturing

Chemical ecology

Insect behavior

Organized and detail-oriented

Education

Bachelor of Science in Biology/Entomology/related field

Tools

MS PowerPoint

BioRender

R

GraphPad Prism

ImageJ

Job description

UC Davis seeks a Junior Specialist in the Chiu Lab to support bee-mung interactions research, including bee rearing, field sampling, and fungal culture work. The role involves recording data, maintaining cultures, and assisting with manuscript preparation under supervision.

Candidates should be organized, detail-oriented, and capable of handling sterile techniques, insect rearing, and microbiome-related workflows.