Water Quality & Living Systems Technician

Student Advanced Level

Requisition IDreq36580 Working TitleWater Quality & Living Systems Technician Pay$18.00 Hourly CampusMain - Albuquerque, NM DepartmentOff Campus Work Study (454F) Employment TypeStudent Employment Student Type StatusNon-Exempt Background Check RequiredNo For Best Consideration Date5/19/2026 Position Summary

Organization: STEM is Child's Play - AI Living Lab

Location: AI Living Lab

An Off-Campus Work-Study position - MUST have a Work-Study Award

We are seeking two motivated students for a hands-on summer position focused on water quality testing, hydroponic systems, and animal habitat water management.
This role provides real lab and field experience in environmental science, water systems, and biological observation. Students will be trained to support water testing, specimen collection, microscopy work, and system monitoring.

Responsibilities:

Test water quality daily and record results
Collect and prepare water and biological specimens
Use microscopes to observe samples
Perform basic staining procedures for sample analysis
Maintain and monitor hydroponic growing systems
Assist with water systems used for animals and reptiles
Support environmental system checks and documentation
Help demonstrate basic water testing for community education

Training provided:

Additional hands-on training will be provided in water testing systems, hydroponics, and living system maintenance procedures.

This is a hands-on technical role designed to build real lab competency and environmental systems experience.

Schedule:
15 hours per week (summer)

Minimum Qualifications

Enrolled in a degree seeking program at UNM, Enrolled at least half-time (6 hours) at UNM for fall and spring semesters (Audit hours do not count), and if Work Study, you must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Preferred Qualifications

Required experience:

Prior lab experience preferred
Must know or be willing to quickly learn:
Microscope use
Basic staining techniques
Specimen collection and handling

Ideal candidates:

Interested in science, biology, environment, or lab work
Responsible and able to follow procedures carefully
Comfortable working in both lab and field settings
Willing to learn and apply technical skills in real-world systems

Application Instructions

Only applications submitted through the official UNMJobs site will be accepted. If you are viewing this job advertisement on a 3rd party site, please visit UNMJobs to submit an application.

Please submit Cover Letter and Resume. MUST have a Work-Study Award.

The University of New Mexico is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.