Senior Research Coordinator, Earth and Environmental Science

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Senior Research Coordinator, Earth and Environmental Science

Job Profile Title

Research Coordinator Senior

Job Description Summary

Oversees daily operations of multiple research protocols, project activities, timelines, and data management. Coordinates laboratory administration, compliance, and IRB submissions, and contributes to literature reviews, grant proposals, manuscripts, and study reports. May enroll participants and support study design, analysis, and dissemination, ensuring research projects are efficiently conducted and aligned with institutional standards.

Job Description

The Department of Earth and Environmental Science (EES) combines elements of geology and geophysics, chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics to study the earth. Length and time scales of interest range from the atomic to the tectonic, from deep time to the present and future. Research in the Department encompasses the geochemistry and structure of earth materials, soil chemistry and mechanics, sediment transport and geomorphology, structural geology and geophysics, planetary geology, atmospheric chemistry, hydrological processes, climate, glaciology, geomicrobiology, fossilized and living organisms, and human impacts on the environment.

Responsibilities:

The Senior Research Coordinator’s responsibilities will include organizing a bi-weekly seminar series, creating and adapting visualizations for publication, downloading and analyzing large climate datasets for use in scientific research, and supervising updates of public-facing web pages and social media accounts. Much of the work is self-directed within the confines of a research group/center with deadlines related to grants, conferences, and paper submissions. Assisting/guiding students is sometimes required. Perform additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s with 3 to 5 years of experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience, is required. Masters or PhD in an earth science field strongly preferred.

• Programming experience with MATLAB is required; fluency in other programming languages like Fortran, Perl, HTML/CSS, and Python is helpful.

• Experience working with large data sets and complex statistical algorithms is strongly preferred.

• The applicant should be able to solve technical issues encountered by the research group as well as improve and streamline research projects and code started by others.

• Strong written communication skills are required.

• Much of the work is self-directed within the confines of a research group/center with deadlines related to grants, conferences, and paper submissions.

• Assisting/guiding students is sometimes required.

• Experience or familiarity with reanalysis data and diagnosing atmospheric circulat