Student Technical Assistant - Food Safety Lab

OSU Oregon State University; Corvallis (OR); On-site; USD 18,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

Oregon State University in Corvallis is seeking a student employee to support Dr. Joy Waite-Cusic’s food safety and food microbiology research program within the Food Science & Technology department.

You will perform experiments, analyze data, document methods, and contribute to reports for journals or conferences while maintaining safe lab practices and teamwork.

Qualifications

• Must be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program (FST, MB, or related discipline).
• Candidate must be able to communicate effectively in English (written and oral).
• Candidate must be able to work as part of a team and promote teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Performs research or field work in support of Dr. Joy Waite-Cusic’s food safety/food microbiology research program.
• Design, carry out, interpret, and report on experiments dealing with food microbiology.
• Analyze data, document activity, write findings for reports or journals, and assist in lab organization.

Skills

Written English

Oral English

Teamwork

Education

Undergraduate enrollment in FST/MB or related discipline

Job description

Department: Food Science & Technology

Special Instructions to Applicants

When applying you will be required to attach the following electronic documents: 1. A Resume/Vita 2. A cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position. For additional information please contact: Joy Waite-Cusic at [e-mail].

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status.

This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per OSU Standard 576-055-0000 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

Note: All job offers are contingent upon Human Resources final approval. OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire.

Job Description

• Performs research or field work in support of Dr. Joy Waite-Cusic’s food safety/food microbiology research program.
• Decisions are made in conjunction with supervisor using appropriate manuals and following established guidelines.
• Experimental decisions may be made independently following proper training.
• Must maintain safe and accurate lab practices and behavior.
• Design, carry out, interpret, and report on experiments dealing with food microbiology.
• Analyze data, document activity, draw conclusions, and write up findings to be included in reports published in journals and/or presented at conferences.
• Organizational work pertaining to this topic, including documentation of appropriate samples and relevant experimental methods.
• Work will include some elementary laboratory organization/design, where needed, in order to increase the laboratory's efficiency for such experiments.

Transferable Skill Development

OSU is committed to ensuring students are prepared for success after graduation through intentional skill development as student employees. The competencies students develop while working at OSU are defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) as the essential skills employers seek in their hires. In this position, students learn and build vital career-readiness skills in the primary areas below:

• Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Teamwork
• Technology

Full Employment Eligibility Requirements

Full Employment Eligibility Requirements can be found here: https://hr.oregonstate.edu/student-employment-manual/500-employment-eligibility-requirements

Must be academically enrolled in a high school, community college, or university and pursuing a program or course of study.

Must meet Academic Standing Requirements; students on academic suspension are not eligible for employment.

Must meet the applicable minimal enrollment standard.

• High School student: Regularly enrolled in a high school or participating in a home-schooling program.
• Undergraduate and post-baccalaureate student: 6 credit hours per term.
• Undergraduate international student: 12 credit hours per term*.
• Graduate student officially admitted to Graduate School: 5 credit hours per term.
• Graduate international student officially admitted to Graduate School: 9 credit hours per term*.

*International students may be allowed to carry fewer hours than specified above and still be considered “full-time” by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). A reduced course load is approved by the Office of International Services (OIS), and must be provided to the Student Employment Center.

Required Qualifications

• Must be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program (FST, MB, or related discipline).
• The candidate must be able to communicate effectively in both written and oral English.
• Candidate must be able to work as part of a team and show a willingness to promote teamwork.
• This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per OSU Standard 576-055-0000 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research experience in a BSL-2 food microbiology laboratory.
• Must be able-bodied and be sufficiently familiar with the equipment that is to be used.
• Demonstratable commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity.

Working Conditions / Schedule

• To be determined through coordination with Dr. Waite-Cusic, conditions vary depending on project.
• May include travel to and from research sites.
• May include evening and weekend hours.
• May require walking, standing, bending and stooping for extended periods.
• May require maneuvering and transporting heavy objects and working with industrial machinery.
• May require working with or around chemicals, caustic compounds, or hazardous materials used in research.

Salary

Salary Range: 15.55

Anticipated Start Date

2026-09-23

About Oregon State University

Working for Oregon State University is so much more than a job! Oregon State University is a dynamic community of dreamers, doers, problem‑solvers and change‑makers. We don’t wait for challenges to present themselves — we seek them out and take them on. We welcome students, faculty and staff from every background and perspective into a community where everyone feels seen and heard. We have deep‑rooted mindfulness for the natural world and all who depend on it, and together, we apply knowledge, tools and skills to build a better future for all.

Facts

• Top 1.4% university in the world
• More research funding than all public universities in Oregon combined
• 1 of 3 land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the U.S.
• 2 campuses, 11 colleges, 12 experiment stations, and Extension programs in all 36 counties
• 7 cultural resource centers that offer education, celebration and belonging for everyone
• 100+ undergraduate degree programs, 80+ graduate degrees plus hundreds of minor options and certificates
• 35k+ students including more than 2.3k international students and 10k students of color
• 217k+ alumni worldwide

Locations

Oregon State has a statewide presence with campuses in Corvallis and Bend, the OSU Portland Center and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Pacific Coast in Newport. Oregon State’s beautiful, historic and state‑of‑the‑art main campus is located in one of America’s best college towns. Corvallis is located close to the Pacific Ocean, the Cascade mountains and Oregon wine country. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, this beautiful city offers miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a river perfect for boating or kayaking and an eclectic downtown featuring local cuisine, popular events and performances.

Total Rewards Package

• Medical, Dental, Vision and Basic Life.
• OSU pays 95% of premiums for you and your eligible dependents.
• Free confidential mental health and emotional support services, and counseling resources.
• Retirement savings paid by the university.
• A generous paid leave package, including holidays, vacation and sick leave.
• Tuition reduction benefits for you or your qualifying dependents at OSU or the additional six Oregon Public Universities.
• Robust Work Life programs including Dual Career assistance resources, flexible work arrangements, a Family Resource Center, Affinity Groups and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Optional lifestyle benefits such as pet, accident, and critical care insurance, giving you peace of mind and the support you need to thrive in all aspects of your life.
• Future and current OSU employees can use the Benefits Calculator to learn more about the full value of the benefits provided at OSU.

Equal Opportunity and Diversity Statements

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

At Oregon State University, no qualified person shall, solely by reason of disability, be denied access to, participation in, or the benefits of, any program or activity operated by the University. If requested, OSU will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants in order to provide access to the application, interviewing and selection process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on your application to receive an accommodation. Please request any reasonable accommodations for disability as early as possible in the application and search process. Requests may be directed to the hiring unit, or to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at [phone]. See Request an Accommodation Procedures for the OSU policy.

Oregon State University, in compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, including Title IX and its regulations, does not unlawfully discriminate and prohibits discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates, including in academic admissions and employment. The university prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin (including ancestry and ethnicity), citizenship, marital or family status, pregnancy or related conditions, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status / service in the uniformed service, or any other status protected by law or OSU policy.

Inquiries about Title IX may be referred to OSU’s Title IX Coordinator, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (link to https://ocrcas.ed.gov/contact-ocr), or both. OSU’s Title IX Coordinator is the Executive Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA). For information on OSU’s nondiscrimination policy and procedures, including how to report information about conduct that may constitute discrimination or make a complaint of sex discrimination under Title IX, contact EOA by phone: [phone], email: [e-mail], mail/location: 330 Snell Hall, Corvallis OR 97331, or visit EOA’s website: eoa.oregonstate.edu.

Know Your Rights

Oregon Family Leave Act: Department of Labor Family and Medical Leave Act: