BIOLOGICAL SCIENTIST I - 42001226

Florida; Gainesville (FL); On-site; USD 43,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave

Nine paid holidays

Health insurance

Job summary

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, is seeking a Biological Scientist I to identify and curate arthropods, maintain reference collections, and assist with taxonomic research.

Ideal candidates have a biology degree, experience with microscopy, and willingness to travel for program support and pest surveys. This is a competitive state service position with travel and agency requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in biological, physical, natural, or agricultural sciences.
• Certain positions require meeting specific federal or state regulations identified by the employing agency.
• Requires possession of a valid Class E driver license.

Responsibilities

• Identifies arthropods to the lowest taxonomic unit and curates by phylogenetic position in the Florida State Collection of Arthropods.
• Prepares arthropod specimens for identification, research, and curation using morphology and literature searches.
• Maintains files, handles loans to researchers, and manages section inventories and databases.
• Performs other related work as required by management.

Skills

Systematics

Microscopy

Computers

Education

Bachelor's degree in biological, physical, natural, or agricultural sciences

Job description

Requisition No: 884662

Agency: Agriculture and Consumer Services

Working Title: BIOLOGICAL SCIENTIST I - 42001226

Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 42001226

Salary: $42,500.12 - $46,750.34

Posting Closing Date: 10/14/2026

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

BIOLOGICAL SCIENTIST I

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES

DIVISION OF PLANT INDUSTRY

***OPEN COMPETITIVE OPPORTUNITY***

CONTACT:

Dr. Susan Halbert, [phone]

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in biological, physical, natural, or agricultural sciences.

Certain positions within this class require individuals to meet specific federal or state regulations as identified by the employing agency.

Requires possession of a valid Class E driver license.

EDUCATIONAL NOTE: Graduates utilizing education attained in the United States to meet the minimum requirements of a position will not be appointed until verification of the applicable degree has been obtained. Foreign trained graduates utilizing a degree attained outside of the United States to meet the minimum requirements of a position must be prepared to provide a copy of a credential evaluation conducted by an Approved Credential Evaluation Agency. A list of approved agencies can be viewed at “Approved Credential Evaluation Agencies, Florida Department of Education.” Approved Credential Evaluation Agencies (fldoe.org)

ATTENTION CANDIDATES

• - All fields in the Candidate Profile must be completed (an attached resume is not a substitution for the information required on the candidate profile).
• - Work history, duties and responsibilities, hours worked, supervisor, and formal education fields, etc. must be filled out to determine qualifications for this position.
• - Responses to Qualifying Questions must be verifiable in the Candidate Profile.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services values
and supports employment of individuals with disabilities. Qualified
individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Occasional travel, including overnight and sometimes up to two weeks at a time on an emergency program, is required.

NOTES:

To maintain fairness and integrity, applicants are required to provide honest and authentic responses during all stages of the evaluation and selection process. Applicants must rely on their own personal knowledge, thoughts, and impressions. A candidate’s use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to answer qualifying questions or participate in interviews will be taken into consideration when determining qualification for the position.

Preference will be granted to applicants with work experience in the area of Hemiptera.

JOB DUTIES:

This is a professional position responsible for the identification and curation of arthropods under the direction of a Biological Scientist IV-SES in support of the plant and plant pest regulatory activities of the Division of Plant Industry.

Curates reference collections. Identifies arthropod specimens to lowest possible taxonomic unit and curates by phylogenetic position into the Florida State Collection of Arthropods. Keeps appropriate files and records for data retrieval. Prepares specimens for loans to arthropod systematists; maintains invoice files and corresponds with these scientists.

Prepares arthropod specimens for identification, research purposes and curation. Uses rearing techniques for laboratory cultures when needed and conducts morphological studies and literature searches.

Section duties: Will be assigned duties related to management functions of the section. These can include tasks such as collection’s maintenance, inventories, management of labs, management of sectional database, supply organization, etc. Each individual in section will have unique tasks assigned.

Researches entomological and other libraries and scientific reprint collections to maintain and update all taxonomic files, records and literature.

Receives, sorts, records and distributes specimens submitted by Plant Protection Specialists and others for identification.

With appropriate training and approval by supervisor, performs identifications and classifications of assigned taxa to genus and species, or to the lowest taxonomic unit possible, using morphological analysis and other scientific methods of identification, assisting with identification of specimens submitted by Plant Protection Specialists and others.

Periodic travel may be required to help facilitate activities associated with current section, bureau or division duties. This may include travel associated with grant projects, farm bills and/or assisting with pest surveys, inspections, public outreach, and emergency programs. If travel not possible, will fulfill duties of others while they are traveling.

Performs other related work as required by management.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• - Expert knowledge of current systematic practice and theory, specimen curation and preparation procedures, including making slides.
• - Ability to use compound and dissecting microscopes.
• - Ability to use computer hardware and software.

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• - Annual and Sick Leave benefits;
• - Nine paid holidays and one Personal holiday each year;
• - State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision and other supplemental insurance options;
• - Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (For more information, please visit www.myfrs.com (http://www.myfrs.com);)
• - Flexible Spending Accounts;
• - Tuition waivers;
• - And more!

For a complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com .

For an estimate of the total compensation package for this position, please visit the “Total Compensation Estimator Tool” located above under the “Posting Closing Date.”

SPECIAL NOTES:

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.

Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply. Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements. Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative code. Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here . All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.