Job Description

Job Description Summary:
The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest and largest of the university’s academic units, providing the foundation for GW’s commitment to the liberal arts and a broad education for all students. The college encompasses 42 academic departments and programs for undergraduate, graduate and professional studies, and 28 research centers and institutes. An internationally recognized faculty and active partnerships with prestigious research institutions place Columbian College at the forefront in advancing policy, enhancing culture and transforming lives through research and discovery.

The Department of Biological Sciences is seeking a Bell Hall Laboratory Associate. The Laboratory Associate supports our Introductory Biology classes for our Biology majors and non-majors. This position typically monitors compliance within a lab with university safety standards and practices along with OSHA, CFR, and other federal, state, and local requirements. This position documents emergency responses if necessary and ensures compliance with nationally accepted standards for cleanroom operations and cleanroom best practices. This role provides user support on equipment and technical details when necessary. This role supervises students and trainees who come to the lab to develop skills in research. The position may perform data and image analysis, compile results, and prepare technical reports and documentation of outcomes.

The position will report to the Academic Department Administration Supervisor for the Biology department.

Laboratory Associate duties to include:
Order and maintain inventory of teaching-related supplies and instructional materials for the Biological Sciences lower-division laboratories under the direction of laboratory teaching faculty.
Maintain Introductory Biological Sciences laboratory spaces, equipment, & records each fall and spring semester, per lab health & safety codes and to the cleanliness specifications of laboratory teaching faculty.
Prepare expense reports related to instructional purchasing.
Set up & maintain equipment & preparatory records for instructional exercises, and prepare materials/reagents/supplies for instructional exercises at the direction of the Bell Hall teaching faculty.
Assist laboratory teaching faculty in Bell Hall with care, feeding, and maintenance of live teaching organism cultures, to include vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, fungi, & bacteria.
Assist with recruitment, onboarding, training, and supervision of graduate teaching assistants, undergraduate teaching assistants, and undergraduate laboratory preparation assistants.
Establish student employee work schedules and monitor worked hours. Maintain employee manuals for each student position.
Coordinate safety compliance by conducting lab inspections, coordinating proper disposal of waste, and planning annual safety seminars, in tandem with the SEH Laboratory Associate.
Assist with planning, ordering, and setup of Harlan Student Research Workshops and Poster Session.
Attend lab meetings weekly to keep apprised of lab use and teaching needs.
Schedule & oversee annual maintenance & repair of laboratory equipment.
Assist instructional faculty in testing lab activities prior to students performing the activities to ensure they can be executed successfully in Bell Hall facilities.
Support the teaching mission of the department by familiarizing oneself with the instructional materials generated by the Bell Hall teaching faculty.
Respond to all communications (written, verbal, and electronic) related to any of the duties listed herein in a timely manner.

Perform other duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position.
Minimum Qualifications:
Qualified candidates will hold a BA/BS in a related discipline, plus 2 years of relevant professional experience or, a Master’s degree or higher in a relevant area of study. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position.
Additional Required Licenses/Certifications/Posting Specific Minimum Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
Organized, friendly, communicative, and able to work independently.
Bachelors degree in Geology or a degree in Environmental Science (not Environmental Studies) that includes Geology.