Unit: College of Humanities and Sciences

Department: School of Life Sciences and Sustainability

Position Summary/Overview

The Gough Lab seeks a full-time field technician to support measurements of carbon dioxide and methane biosphere-atmosphere exchange in restored coastal wetlands on the eastern shore of Virginia. The technician will join a collaborative team of investigators from VCU’s School of Life Sciences and Sustainability which is housed in the College of Humanities and Sciences, and partners from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Duke University, the Nature Conservancy, and NASA examining how coastal wetland restoration practices affect carbon sequestration, methane emissions, biodiversity, and other ecosystem goods and services. The project is part of a larger Nature Conservancy-led effort in the mid-Atlantic to enhance nature-based solutions through evidence-based ecological restoration. This is a full-time, 12 month onsite position. The position may be renewable for up to three years, pending continued funding and satisfactory performance. 

The position falls under the Lab/Research Technician classification within VCU’s Research and Innovation job family. For additional details, please visit VCU Human Resources’ Job Family and Salary Ranges, here.

VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will add your military years of service to our leave plan. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual!

Application Process: Submit cover letter, resume or CV, list of 3 references. Applications accepted until position is filled.  

NOTE: The successful candidate understands that this is a restricted position and ongoing employment depends on continued funding.

Duties and Responsibilities 

The technician will lead the installation, maintenance, and acquisition of data from multiple meteorological flux towers located on Virginia’s eastern shore, and engage in collaborative efforts to report, model, and scale carbon dioxide and methane exchange, and biodiversity at site and regional scales. Additional responsibilities include lab and project meeting participation, stakeholder and student engagement, facilitation of protocol development and workforce training, ancillary field data collection, and data analysis. The position requires periodic travel, including overnight trips to wetland restoration sites.

About VCU & SLSS:

Virginia Commonwealth University is the premier urban, public research university in Virginia. VCU’s mission is to advance knowledge and student success through its commitments to an engaging learning environment, research that expands the boundaries of new knowledge, interdisciplinary collaborations that bring new perspectives to complex problems, health care that strives to preserve and restore health for all people, and promotes an environment of respect, professionalism, and civility, and sustainable university partnerships. VCU prohibits unlawful discrimination and is an equal opportunity employer.

The School of Life Sciences and Sustainability (SLSS) was established in 2025, bringing together programs in Biology, Environmental Studies, Bioinformatics, Sustainable Innovation, Outdoor Leadership, and Integrative Life Sciences to create an interdisciplinary hub for teaching and research. We serve more than 2,400 undergraduate and 100 graduate students across bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs. Our 67 full-time faculty and 16 professional staff are committed to innovative teaching, experiential learning, and impactful research across the life, environmental, and health sciences. As a growing school, we are building a collaborative community focused on preparing students to address complex challenges in a changing world. Visit slss.vcu.edu to learn more.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. in environmental sciences, engineering, meteorology, ecology, or related field
• Prior experience working in the field; installing, operating, and maintaining technical instrumentation; and analyzing large datasets 
• Comfort working independently in remote areas with variable weather conditions.
• Demonstrated ability to work on large interdisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism, and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a member of VCU

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. with the experience and requirements above
• Familiarity with and prior experience working in wetlands
• Experience operating eddy-covariance or atmospheric flux towers
• R or Python coding proficiency

Salary Range: $55,000

Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

FLSA Exemption Status: Non-Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

Restricted Position: Yes

ORP Eligible: No

Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite

University Job Title: Lab/Research Technician 1

Contact Information:
Contact Name: Chris Gough
Contact Email: cmgough@vcu.edu