Associate In Research

Online applications must be received before 11:59pm on:

July 31, 2025

If a date is not listed above, review the Applicant Instructions below for more details.

Available Title(s):

321-YN_FACULTY - Associate in

Business Title:

Associate In Research

Employee Type:

Faculty (+) (Fixed Term)

Position Term:

12 Month

Position Details:

Position duties include conceiving and executing greenhouse and laboratory studies, regarding, but not limited to, reference genome assembly for weed species with polyploid genomes, bioinformatic data analysis, weed biology, and phenotyping of relevant traits. Candidates should possess the skills to identify and define research problems, design approaches or hypotheses and methodology to be used, write and review protocols, design specific phases of research projects, study installation, collect and process data, plan and manage long-term studies, analyze results, develop conclusions and hypotheses, and publish research results. Research often involves the use of herbicides, but it is multidisciplinary and often applies principles of plant breeding, genetics, genomics, plant physiology, and plant ecology. The incumbent is expected to supervise undergraduate and graduate students in sample preparation and analysis, present research at conferences, grower and industry meetings, field tours, and Washington State University events. 

40%| Perform de novo genome assembly for weed species

The incumbent will lead projects for de novo genome assembly for weed species problematic in Pacific Northwest cropping systems. Candidates should be abreast of the latest developments in sequencing technologies, such as Illumina, PacBio, and Oxford Nanopore, and pipelines to analyze the quality of data for both diploid and polyploid plant genomes. They should possess the knowledge and computational skills required for genome assembly, genome annotation, quality control assessment, and data visualization. Wet lab skills for extracting RNA, nuclear DNA, genomic DNA, and high molecular weight DNA will also be required.

40%| Perform and analyze genomic and transcriptomic experiments

The incumbent will perform and analyze genomic and transcriptomic experiments that will result in the identification of candidate genes underpinning traits that provide a competitive advantage to weed species, such as herbicide resistance. These experiments will require plant phenotyping various traits and data curation. Candidates should possess the knowledge and computational skills required for quality assessment, statistical analysis, Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) variant calling, comparative genomics, and data visualization. Production of suitable plant material under greenhouse or growth chamber conditions will also be required, which will require performing controlled crosses and self-pollinations of plant material. Organized record-keeping of plant material will be of vital importance. Ongoing project collaborations will also require learning the pipelines for microbiome data analysis.

10%| Communicate effectively and collaborate with a diversity of clientele

Several projects involve collaborators from various fields of research, and the incumbent is expected to effectively communicate and collaborate with them. They should be able to manage and/or coordinate with collaborators to achieve project goals. Individuals should also possess the skills to mentor undergraduate hourly students and help graduate students, in a teaching/learning manner, to identify and define research problems, design approaches or hypotheses and methodology to be used, write and review protocols, design specific phases of research projects, collect and process data, plan and manage long-term studies, analyze results, development conclusions and hypothesis, and present research results in publishable form. The incumbent is expected to present their research at conferences and field days.

10%| Maintain a clean and safe work environment

Maintain a safe work environment for employees. This includes maintaining and organizing laboratory spaces, greenhouses, and greenhouse storage. Spaces should be maintained to the Worker Protection Standards (WPS) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards of safety, and personnel should be trained on current WPS and EPS standards.

Additional Information:

Annual Salary: $55,000-$67,000 | Commensurate with experience and qualifications
In accordance with RCW 49.58.110 , the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on the candidate’s current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position. Successful candidates typically begin up to mid-point of the salary range. For additional information, please review WSU’s Administrative Professional Compensation Structure .
Benefits: WSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid sick and vacation leave; paid holidays; medical, dental, life and disability insurance package for employees and dependents; retirement; deferred compensation, optional supplemental retirement accounts. For additional information, please review the detailed Summary of Benefits offered by WSU for AP staff and Total Compensation .
Required Qualifications:

• Masters in bioinformatics, plant biotechnology, plant biology, or closely related degree programs.

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with other scientists to achieve project goals.

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

• Hands-on experience extracting nuclear DNA, genomic DNA, and high molecular weight DNA in plant species.

• Hands-on experience with polyploid plant genome assembly.

• Must be proficient in R, Python, Java, and/or Perl programming languages.

• Familiarity with microbiome data analysis, especially 16S and ITS1 data.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in publishing in peer‐reviewed scientific journals commensurate with career level.

• Knowledge of pangenome development..

About Department/College/Area/ Campus - Department of Crop and Soil Sciences | Washington State University

Area/College: College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Science (CAHNRS)
Department Name: Crop and Soil Sciences
Location: Pullman, WA
Application Instructions: Applicants must upload the following required documents to their online application. Application materials should clearly communicate how the applicant meets all required qualifications and additional requirements.
1) Resume
2) Cover Letter
External candidates, upload all documents in the “Application Document” section of your application.
Current WSU Employees (internal candidates), before starting your Workday application, please use these instructions to update your education and experience in your worker profile in Workday . Internal candidates, upload all documents in the “Resume/Cover Letter” section of your application.
Documents may be submitted as one file or separate files. Applicants are encouraged to upload as a PDF, if possible.
Background Check: This position has been designated by the department to require a background check because it requires access to children or vulnerable adults as defined by RCW 74.34 , engages in law enforcement, requires security clearance, interacts with WSU students in a counseling or advising capacity, has access to personal identifying and/or financial information, unsupervised access to university buildings/property, or other business-related need. A background check will not be completed until an initial determination of qualification for employment has been made.

Time Type:

Full time

Washington State University encourages all qualified candidates to apply, including members of the military and veterans, and persons with disabilities.

WSU employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

WSU 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, contact Human Resource Services: 509-335-4521 (v), Washington State TDD Relay Service: Voice Callers: 1-800-833-6384; TDD Callers: 1-800-833-6388, 509-335-1259(f), or hrs@wsu.edu .

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