Research Technician – Roberts Lab of Ecosystem Ecology and Biogeochemistry (Apr 2026)

Position Overview

The Roberts Lab of Ecosystem Ecology and Biogeochemistry at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) is seeking multiple research technicians to join our interdisciplinary research team in support of projects supported by multiple grants from NSF, BOEM, NASEM GRP, and GCOOS. These research positions are available immediately with applications being accepted until the positions are filled.

The Roberts Lab is interested in understanding how ecosystems transform and retain nutrients and energy. We are particularly interested in examining how the mechanisms regulating the autotrophic/heterotrophic balance and the biogeochemical cycling and transport of materials along the continuum from headwater streams and lakes to large rivers, wetlands, estuaries, and open-ocean ecosystems are altered as a result of human perturbations to the landscape and how restoration efforts might mitigate some of these deleterious impacts.

Current projects include long-term studies on coastal wetland carbon (CH4 and CO2 fluxes), nutrient exchanges, microbial ecology, and vegetation dynamics; methane efflux from river influenced marine sediments; methane dynamics across microbe-to-landscape scales in coastal wetlands; the relationship of human disturbance to ecosystem services in offshore sand shoal habitats; plant productivity and soil biogeochemistry in salt marsh–mangrove ecotones; living shoreline restorations; and wetland and coastal estuarine biogeochemistry.

The positions are based at LUMCON’s DeFelice Marine Center in Cocodrie, LA.

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. in biogeochemistry, coastal/marine science, ecology, oceanography, or a related field
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Basic data analysis experience

Ideal Candidate / Preferred Qualifications

• Research experience in a field setting
• Experience with field and laboratory analytical instrumentation including nutrient analyzers, spectrophotometers, TOC/TN analyzers, elemental analyzers, and/or gas chromatographs
• Experience with measurements of the carbon, iron, sulfur, and nitrogen cycles
• Experience with data QA/QC
• Data management experience

Essential Duties

• Perform combination of field sampling and laboratory instrument analyses activities
• Assist with lab organization and maintenance
• Assist with digitization of field notebooks/data sheets, data entry, organization, and analysis
• Contribute to project planning and logistics
• Contribute to data analysis, interpretation, and peer-reviewed publications as appropriate
• Work collaboratively with PIs, post docs, graduate and undergraduate students, and other research technicians

Review of applications will commence immediately and continue until the position is filled.