Job Description
The Global Change Ecology and Biogeochemistry Labs at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) are seeking two technicians to support research on coastal ecosystem responses to global change. These are 6-month, full-time positions that will begin in Nov 2025. We seek motivated people interested in working in a multidisciplinary research team. The primary task is to recover, sort, and process roots and rhizomes from soil samples collected in our long-term wetland experiments. Secondary tasks include: collecting and analyzing environmental samples of water, soil, gas, and plants; lab equipment operation; and curating data. The technicians will collaborate on multiple long-term experiments at SERC’s Global Change Research Wetland and the COMPASS project. Applicants must be independent, detail-oriented, organized, and able to contribute to several related but distinct projects at once. In addition, applicants must at times be able to lift heavy equipment (up to 50 pounds), work outside in challenging environmental conditions, and stand for many hours to process samples. Ideal qualifications include experience working in field and laboratory settings.
How to Apply
Send a 1-page cover letter describing your relative experience and qualifications, a current resume, and contact information for three references to Alice Stearns (stearnsa@si.edu) by 24 Sep 2025.
About SERC
SERC is a research center of the Smithsonian Institution, located in Edgewater, MD, about 10 miles south of Annapolis, 40 miles west of Washington DC, and 40 miles south of Baltimore. The 2,654-acre campus includes labs, offices, an education center, docks, and boats. Technicians will be hired as Trust employees (not federal employees), entitling them to health, vision, dental, and other benefits. Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. Starting salaries can consider previous experience.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact CoyleB@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: https://www.si.edu/oeo.
