Environmental Lab Research Student Assistant

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 27,000 - 71,000; Part time

Job summary

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is seeking two Student Assistants in the Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division to support cutting-edge soil and microbiology work at Berkeley Lab, CA. You will gain hands-on experience in wet-lab techniques, data management, and interdisciplinary research within environmental science teams.

Responsibilities include DNA/RNA extraction, sample handling, and exploring AI tools for literature synthesis, with emphasis on laboratory safety and accurate

Qualifications

• Current undergraduate student pursuing coursework in chemistry, biology, the geosciences, or a related field.
• Ability to follow established laboratory procedures, maintain accurate records, and learn new laboratory techniques.
• Ability to follow laboratory safety procedures and emergency response procedures; to complete required training for handling hazardous materials; and to use Safety Data Sheets and PPE.
• Strong attention to detail to prevent cross-contamination and support reproducibility of experiments/analyses.
• Effective communication and teamwork skills.
• Strong time management and organizational abilities.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and scientists.

Responsibilities

• Perform basic laboratory procedures, including pipetting, titrations, microscopy, centrifugation.
• Prepare chemical solutions, buffers, and reagents with accurate molarity and stoichiometry.
• Conduct soil texture and soil hydraulic parameter analysis including sieving and grinding soils.
• Use basic chemistry equipment such as spectrophotometers and pH meters.
• Perform DNA/RNA extraction from soil.
• Learn AI methods to organize and synthesize scientific literature.
• Maintain adherence to all safety protocols.
• Maintain inventories of all samples and soil cores.
• Enter, organize, and document laboratory data and notebooks.
• Contribute high-quality datasets to team for basic and advanced analyses.

Skills

Lab procedures

Molecular biology basics

Data entry

Statistical thinking

Python/R basics

Team collaboration

Education

Undegraduate student in chemistry/biology/geosciences

Tools

Spectrophotometer

pH meter

Centrifuge

Excel

Job description

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is seeking two Student Assistants in the Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division to support cutting-edge soil and microbiology work at Berkeley Lab, CA. You will gain hands-on experience in wet-lab techniques, data management, and interdisciplinary research within environmental science teams.

Responsibilities include DNA/RNA extraction, sample handling, and exploring AI tools for literature synthesis, with emphasis on laboratory safety and accurate