Job Description

Research Technician, Plant SciencesPrimary Purpose:The Western Grain Research Foundation (WGRF) Research Chair in Integrated Agronomy, led by Dr. Maryse Bourgault, is recruiting for a Research Technician. The mission of the WGRF Chair is to conduct interdisciplinary systems-based research to improve the resilience, sustainability and profitability of grain production in Western Canada and semi-arid environments in general. Through collaborations with the existing expertise present at the University of Saskatchewan, as well as engagement with Prairie grain producers and industry partners, the program aims to take a broad look at sustainability issues in cropping systems and how agronomic practices can be developed or adapted to address these issues. The Chair\'s objective is to establish both short-term and medium- to long-term agronomic and cropping systems experimentation that is scientifically rigorous, relevant and impactful to grain producers. The main purpose of the Research Technician is to assist the Chair with the coordination and implementation of research projects and help with the supervision of graduate students.Nature of Work:The primary responsibilities of the Research Technician will be to assist in the planning, design and implementation of field research projects for the Integrated Agronomy group both on-site and on-farm. This includes operating plot and farm equipment, organizing supplies for planting, data collection, and generally coordinating several projects at once. Other duties include, but are not limited to, supervision of part-time, seasonal employees, undergraduate interns, assistance with supervising graduate students, keeping laboratory spaces clean and organized, assistance with laboratory procedures, data analysis, meeting organization, grain producer farm visits, and presentations to agronomic meetings.Because of the importance of timely data collection, work during evenings and weekends may be required, especially during the growing season (May to September). Occasional travel to off station sites may also necessitate extended hours and/or overnight travel.Typical Duties or Accountabilities:

• Training and overseeing graduate and undergraduate students in field and laboratory procedures
• Soil sampling, planting, general maintenance of research plots, and combine harvesting, which includes operating tractors, mower, pesticide sprayers, trucks, and plot combine harvester
• Application of treatments, sampling, data collection, compilation and curation, including recording meta-data on experiments
• General maintenance of research equipment, field and laboratory
• General organization and coordination between projects, maintaining up-to-date documentation on safe operating procedures and data management processes.
• Assisting the Chair in engaging with collaborators and stakeholders, including extension activities
• Support for other field research projects as required
• Other duties as assigned.

QualificationsEducation: A Master\'s degree in agronomy, plant science, agricultural biology or related field; a combination of a Bachelor\'s degree in a comparable field and at least two years of professional experience in research environments may be considered.Licenses:

• Must possess a valid Saskatchewan drivers\' license or equivalent.
• Be registered as a Professional Agrologist (PAg), Technical Agrologist (TechAg) or Articling Agrologist (AAg/ATechAg) with the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologist, or equivalent, within six months of the start of employment.

Experience:The successful candidate has:

• Supervisory experience
• Experience with the planning, design, implementation and maintenance of research field plots, including for example fertilization, irrigation, weed and pest management, and precision harvesting of experimental plots
• Collecting, recording, validating, and analyzing field data
• The safe operation of farm scale and/or plot scale equipment such as tractors, planters, sprayers, mowers, and combine harvesters
• Safe laboratory procedures

Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to carry on several projects at once
• Demonstrated ability to create and foster relationships with people of diverse backgrounds and education levels
• Demonstrated ability to use Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, Teams, etc)
• Demonstrated ability to choose and perform appropriate statistical analyses on experimental data; ability to use R for data analysis would be an asset. (Please expand on experimental designs used in the past)
• Demonstrated ability to present research results to farmer and/or scientific audiences
• Ability to drive and possess a valid driver\'s license; demonstrated ability to drive a pickup truck and tow a large trailer would be an asset.

To Apply: Applications will be accepted online only at careers.usask.ca and must include a cover letter, a statement addressing qualifications, and resume, and be submitted as a single PDF document. The statement addressing qualifications must address each and every one of the qualifications listed in the above sections on education, licenses, experience and skills. We also strongly encourage providing specific examples of actions or behaviors to demonstrate experience or skill. A typical comprehensive statement addressing qualifications is 3 to 5 pages in length. The use of subtitles is strongly recommended. Applications that fail to provide all of the information required will be considered incomplete and will not be assessed.Inquiries regarding this position can be directed to Dr. Maryse Bourgault (maryse.bourgault@usask.ca).Department: Plant Sciences
Status: Term
Employment Group: Research Positions - Non-union
Shift:
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0
Salary: The salary range, based on 1.0 FTE, is $23.53 - 42.47 per hour. The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Salary Family (if applicable):
Salary Phase/Band: Salary Band 5
Posted Date: 7/19/2024
Closing Date: 8/23/2024
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: On Campus
The University is committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion, and are proud to support career opportunities for Indigenous peoples to reflect the community we serve. We are dedicated to recruiting individuals who will enrich our work and learning environments. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. We are committed to providing accommodations to those with a disability or medical necessity. If you require an accommodation to participate in the recruitment process, please notify us and we will work together on the accommodation request. We continue to grow our partnerships with Indigenous communities across the province, nationally, and internationally and value the unique perspective that Indigenous employees provide to strengthen these relationships. Verification of Indigenous Membership/Citizenship at the University of Saskatchewan is led and determined by the and Standing Committee in accordance with the processes developed to enact the policy. Successful candidates that assert Indigenous membership/citizenship will be asked to complete the verification process of Indigenous membership/citizenship with documentation. The University of Saskatchewan\'s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the M\xc3\xa9tis. We pay our respects to the First Nations and M\xc3\xa9tis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another. Together, we are uplifting Indigenization to a place of prominence at the University of Saskatchewan.

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