Environmental Lab Operations & Field Research Manager

Weebly, Inc.; Kent (OH); Hybrid; USD 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Kent State University in Kent, OH, seeks a Full Time Lab Manager to oversee the Kinsman-Costello and Costello Lab operations within the Biological Sciences Department. The role manages lab infrastructure, instrumentation, safety, purchasing, and compliance to enable faculty, students, and collaborators to conduct high-quality aquatic ecosystem research.

This fixed-term, full-time position emphasizes independent judgment, clear communication, and project coordination across multiple ongoing

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in ecology, environmental science, geology, earth science, chemistry or related STEM discipline.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability and motivation to support a safe, collaborative work environment.
• Independent work and teamwork capability.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Valid U.S. driver\'s license.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate laboratory operations, purchasing, recordkeeping, compliance, and facility readiness to support research activities.
• Support onboarding, training, supervision, and coordination of students, staff, volunteers, and other laboratory personnel.
• Operate, maintain, and provide technical support for analytical instrumentation and laboratory workflows.
• Coordinate and participate in field research activities, including logistics, equipment management, safety planning, and environmental data collection.
• Facilitate laboratory communications, scheduling, and collaboration among faculty, students, staff, and external partners.
• Contribute to research innovation, data management, scientific products, and collaborative projects that advance the laboratory's research mission.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Independent work

Team collaboration

Organization

Driver's license

Education

Bachelor's degree in ecology/environmental science/related STEM

Job description

CLICK HERE TO APPLY
The Kinsman-Costello Lab (https://laurenkinsmancostello.weebly.com/) and Costello Lab (https://costellolab.weebly.com/) in the Biological Sciences Department at Kent State University seek a Full Time Research Technician to manage the labs of a dynamic, supportive research group with multiple ongoing grant-funded and student-led research projects in aquatic ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry. The position provides rich opportunities to learn and develop diverse research and management skills. The Lab Manager is responsible for the comprehensive operational, logistical, and technical management of an interdisciplinary environmental research laboratory. The position supports the research mission of the laboratory by ensuring that laboratory, field, and data activities are well organized, safe, compliant, and effectively coordinated. The Lab Manager plays a central role in enabling faculty, students, and collaborators to conduct high‑quality research by managing laboratory infrastructure, instrumentation, personnel workflows, scheduling, purchasing, and compliance. This role requires independent judgment, clear communication, and strategic prioritization across multiple concurrent projects. The Lab Manager is expected to balance routine operational responsibilities with time‑sensitive project needs while maintaining transparency around capacity, timelines, and task prioritization. The Lab Manager is expected to represent the laboratory professionally in collaborative, technical, and outreach settings.

This is a full-time, fixed term position, with opportunities for extension subject to availability of external grant funds.

Examples of duties include:
• Laboratory Operations and Administration: Coordinate laboratory operations, purchasing, recordkeeping, compliance, and facility readiness to support research activities.
• Personnel Support and Training: Support onboarding, training, supervision, and coordination of students, staff, volunteers, and other laboratory personnel.
• Analytical Instrumentation and Technical Support: Operate, maintain, and provide technical support for analytical instrumentation and laboratory workflows.
• Field Research Coordination: Coordinate and participate in field research activities, including logistics, equipment management, safety planning, and environmental data collection.
• Communication and Project Coordination: Facilitate laboratory communications, scheduling, and collaboration among faculty, students, staff, and external partners.
• Research and Scholarly Support: Contribute to research innovation, data management, scientific products, and collaborative projects that advance the laboratory's research mission.

Qualifications:
Required:

• Bachelors in ecology, environmental science, geology, earth science, chemistry or related STEM discipline
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Ability and motivation to support a supportive, safe work environment
• Effective at working both independently and as a member of a collaborative team
• Excellent organization skills
• Valid U.S. drivers license

Desired:

• Demonstrated history of project coordination, team management, lab management, employee supervision and/or mentoring.
• Experience with one or more common ecosystem ecology tools including analytical soil, sediment, or water analyses, field sampling and experimentation, and sensor system deployment and maintenance.
• Competency in data management, synthesis and analysis, using Microsoft Excel, R, GitHub, and other computational tools.
• Physical ability for strenuous field work.
• Ability to travel for field work and project meetings.

Kent State University, located in Kent, OH, is a doctoral-granting public institution that enrolls approximately 40,000 students. Kent State has a vibrant and growing research community and was recently elevated to “R1: Very High Research Activity” by the Carnegie Classification. The Department of Biological Sciences ( http://www.kent.edu/biology ) is the largest in the College of Arts and Sciences, with over 80 MS and PhD students, 1200 undergraduate students, and 40 faculty. Faculty and students in the department participate in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research through the Environmental Science and Design Research Institute (ESDRI), Brain Health Research Institute (BHRI), and Healthy Communities Research Institute (HCRI). The northeast Ohio region offers quick access to many natural areas for research and personal recreation, including the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Holden Arboretum, the “Emerald Necklace” of Cleveland Metroparks, and dozens of county parks.

The Kinsman-Costello Nutrient Biogeochemistry Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences at Kent State University seeks a prospective Ph.D. students

Members of the Kinsman-Costello lab study the nutrient biogeochemistry of freshwater aquatic ecosystems including Great Lakes coastal wetlands, urban stormwater features, agricultural restorations, and northern peatlands. Graduate positions in the KSU Biological Sciences Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution include guaranteed support in the form of a competitive stipend, full tuition waiver, benefits. Research assistantships and support for participation academic meetings may be available, and support is available for the candidate to begin research activities in summer 2024 if the selected candidate is available.

For more information on Kinsman-Costello lab research and activities, visit our website at http://laurenkinsmancostello.weebly.com/ and/or follow me on twitter @LKCBiogeochem.

For more information about the Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution at Kent State University, please see: https://www.kent.edu/biology/graduate

If you are an interested prospective student, please email me ([e-mail]) and include your resume or CV. For full consideration, please contact me at least 2 weeks prior to when you intend to submit your application. Applications deadlines are in December.