Instructional Lab and Organism Care Technician

Job Title

Instructional Lab and Organism Care Technician

Job Description Summary

Haverford College invites applications to our full-time (37.5 hours per week), non-exempt, benefits-eligible Instructional Lab and Organism Care Technician opportunity.

Job Description

Haverford Offers Great Benefits: The College offers a comprehensive benefits program that includes possible work-from-home opportunities, automatic 10% retirement contribution to your retirement account upon eligibility (no match required), a 50% tuition benefit for dependent children upon eligibility, 14 paid holidays (including the week before New Year’s Day off), Health Savings Account contribution of $700 for individuals and$1400 for families (no match required), affordable medical plans, and a beautiful arboretum campus with walking trail and easy public transportation access. Please visit the Benefits page (https://www.haverford.edu/human-resources/benefits) for more information.

About the Biology Department:

The Biology Department at Haverford College houses eight full-time tenure-track faculty and is a research active department which holds federal grants and awards from NIH, NSF, Dreyfus, and the Kaufman Foundation. Haverford’s expectations for excellence in research are aligned with the internal resources offered to faculty, including a full-time instrument specialist, media prep/autoclave specialist, a machinist that specializes in scientific instrument fabrication, a purchasing agent, a science librarian, and an administrative assistant. Modern biology has seen tremendous growth in our ability to understand and compare the structure and function of living organisms at the cellular, molecular and genetic levels, and what were traditionally regarded as many different areas of biology have become integrated, particularly in the research laboratory. We involve students in the process of discovery in a research-focused curriculum that stresses the experimental method as a teaching tool. Students at all levels of the curriculum frame their own experimental questions and use current research techniques to search for answers. Our curricular approach allows students to develop the conceptual tools to both follow and contribute to the rapid advance of knowledge and understanding.

About the Position

The Instructional Laboratory and Organism Care Technician’s responsibilities encompass two primary roles: (i) the coordination and execution of the Biology 100-level laboratory experience in conjunction with faculty teaching the course, and (ii) organism care and support of the Biology Department’s greenhouse and saltwater aquarium facilities. The Biology Department is launching a first-year introductory biology course that includes four 3-hour laboratory modules in 4 weeks of each semester, with 3-4 sections in each week. The Technician is responsible for preparing and coordinating these laboratory activities with faculty throughout the semester. Additionally, the Technician provides organismal care and day-to-day operations maintenance of both organismal facilities, which includes animal husbandry and plant care, assisting with supervision of student workers, interfacing with the Facilities department, troubleshooting maintenance problems, and contributing to the on-call responsibilities that are necessarily involved with facilities that house live organisms year-round. 

Primary Responsibilities

Biology Department 100-level laboratory support (approximately 17.5 hours per week)

• Liaise with multiple Biology faculty co-teaching BIO100 to coordinate the set-up and tear-down of laboratory spaces and equipment
• Order and handle biological and chemical reagents appropriate for introductory labs
• Handle chemical and biological hazardous waste resulting from laboratory exercises
• Prepare and assemble handouts and visual aids
• Develop safety training modules for BIO100 in consultation with Biology faculty and Laboratory Safety Committee
• Train Biology teaching assistants
• Assist Biology faculty in 100-level laboratory instruction

Organism Care (approximately 20 hours per week):

For Biology Department Greenhouse

• Routinely care for plants and regularly maintain greenhouse including watering, trimming, planting, potting, hand pollination, and seed collection
• Clean greenhouse spaces weekly
• Monitor for pests and coordinate treatment
• Train student researchers in greenhouse maintenance
• Share in on-call responsibilities

For the Biology Department Saltwater Aquarium

• Routinely care for adult sea urchins and larvae
• Regularly