Arthropod Research Technician

This is a part-time or temporary non-benefited position.

Description & Details:

We are seeking motivated researchers to investigate the impacts of restored disturbance regimes on arthropod communities. This position will include analyzing sweep net and pitfall samples taken during the summer 2021, 2022, and 2023 field seasons. Samples were taken from season-long grazing and two heterogeneity-based grazing practices. Each treatment included four replicates each with 12 transects and 72 pitfall traps for a total of 144 transects and 576 pitfall traps per year.

Technicians will assist in identifying arthropods down to the order level and assigning each specimen to a designated size class. Samples will then be dried using a convection oven and weights will be recorded for each transect. Technicians will have the opportunity to develop arthropod identification skills as well as various lab techniques including the use of a dissecting microscope, drying specimens with lab ovens, and various measurements mentioned above. This research will be an important step in better understanding how a restored disturbance regime impacts biodiversity and can be extrapolated to potential impacts of other communities that use arthropods as prey

species

Work Schedule:

10-20 hrs/week

Advertised Pay:

Variable, starting at $20/hr

Pay is based on several factors, including budget, labor market, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and/or certification and other business considerations.

Minimum Qualifications:

Applicants should be working on a degree in a related field and/or have an interest in the topic. Applicants will be expected to work well independently and with a

team and should have experience using Microsoft Excel Google documents. Organizational skills and attention to detail are essential as the dataset is quite large

and will need to be entered efficiently and accurately.

Preferred Qualifications:

The most competitive applicants will have prior experience with arthropod identification as well as basic microscopy techniques although this is not necessary and

can easily be taught.

To Apply - Applications must include the following materials:

Submit one document that includes: 1) a cover letter discussing your qualifications and future goals, 2) a curriculum vitae, and 3) contact

information for three professional references. Application review begin immediately, but the position will remain open until suitable candidates are found.

Please contact Dr. Justin Clarke at with questions.

Please include within application if you are currently or have in the past 12 months been employed with NDSU, the North Dakota University System or any other North Dakota State agency. If so, include which agency/department, as well as your how many hours you work a week and in the past 12 months.

Employment Eligibility:

NDSU determines employment eligibility through the E-Verify system: What is E-Verify? New employees to NDSU must present specific identification to determine their employment eligibility no later than their first day of work. To view the identification required, please see the List of Acceptable Documents. You will be required to have one item from List A OR one item from List B and List C.

About Us:

North Dakota State University is distinctive as a student focused, land-grant, research university. We educate leaders who solve national and global challenges by providing affordable access to an excellent education that combines teaching and research in a rich learning environment.

NDSU is in the highest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, R1, granted to the top research institutions in the country.

NDSU has offices across the state of North Dakota, and the main campus is in Fargo, on the Minnesota border. Along with Moorhead, Minnesota, Fargo forms one of the largest metropolitan centers between Minneapolis and Seattle. The community is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live.

NDSU is committed to fostering a community where differences are recognized as strengths. Rooted in our land-grant mission, we work together to meet the needs of North Dakota and its communities through education, research and outreach.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

NDSU does not discriminate in its programs and activities on the basis of age, color, gender expression/identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, participation in lawful off-campus activity, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, public assistance status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, spousal relationship to current employee, or veteran status, as applicable. Direct inquiries to: Vice Provost, Title IX/ADA Coordinator, Old Main 201, NDSU Main Campus, Fargo, ND, 58108, ,

No Smoking Notice:

As an employer, the State of North Dakota prohibits smoking in all places of state employment in accordance with N.D.C.C. §

Reasonable Accommodation Information:North Dakota State University is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education, and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, please contact Human Resources at or

We collectively acknowledge that NDSU, a land grant institution, on the traditional lands of the Oceti Sakowin (Dakota, Lakota, Nakoda) and Anishinaabe Peoples in addition to many diverse Indigenous Peoples still connected to these lands. We honor with gratitude Mother Earth and the Indigenous Peoples who have walked with her throughout generations. We will continue to learn how to live in unity with Mother Earth and build strong, mutually beneficial, trusting relationships with Indigenous Peoples of our region. (see ).