Technician/Biologist - Keys

Primary Function: This position is primarily to support Mote’s coral sexual propagation activities, including assisting with coral spawning (in field, on land), fertilization, larval settlement, recruit rearing, and grow-out of sexually-produced corals from any stony coral species IC2R3 may work with.
Primary Duties:
– Assist with restoration and/or research objectives involving the sexual propagation of corals
– Assist with daily care and maintenance of sexual recruits, sexually mature broodstock, and maintenance of life support equipment.
– Assist with annual coral spawning activities, which require work days that are outside of the typical work-day time frame.
– General coral husbandry tasks including siphoning/cleaning raceways, employing algal mitigation strategies, maintaining grazing organisms, administering coral health treatments, providing appropriate lighting schemes, monitoring water quality parameters, feeding coral recruits, building settlement materials, cleaning tanks and equipment, and maintaining readiness of the outdoor nursery in the instance of unfavorable weather.
– Assist with the data collection, data processing, and daily activities associated with research projects and general maintenance of broodstock.
– Assist with the maintenance of spawning colonies that are housed across multiple field-based nurseries or within land-based spawning systems.
– Assist with coral outplanting when required.
Additional tasks:

• Assist with coral separation and re-mounting to new substrates
• Assist with optimization of labeling schemes and record keeping
• Assist with maintaining a safe, clean, organized indoor wet lab space
• Assist with taking coral samples for genetic and research purposes
• Conduct data collection, entry and analysis associated with research
• Conduct micro fragmentation when necessary
• Assist with macro/micrograph and fluorescence imaging
• Mentor interns
• Maintain an organized nursery and inventory of corals
• Assist with deliverables associated with specific funding efforts
• Assist with research and restoration activities related to coral reproduction in the field
• Assist daily operations of an ex situ spawning system(s)

– Attend outreach opportunities when needed.
– Support visiting scientists and collaborators when needed.
Required Knowledge and Abilities:
– Knowledge of the corals found within the Florida Reef Tract
– Previous experience with coral care in aquaria
– Participate in heavy physical exertion while swimming or diving or hauling gear
– Lift heavy objects or equipment up to 50 lbs
– Ability to work under strenuous conditions in the field or on land, at night for long hours in a tropical climate during spawning season
– Working knowledge of computer software (Windows, Microsoft Office)
– Normal hours are 8:00-5:00 M-F with a lunch break; however, weekend and evening hours will be required at times, especially during spawning season and sometimes during ongoing experiments
Minimum Qualifications or Requirements:

• MSc degree in the marine or biological sciences from an accredited college or university will be considered for the Staff Biologist level; those with a BSc degree will be considered as a Technician Level if they meet all other minimum requirements.
• Previous research diving experience
• Experience working with corals and aquaria systems
• Experience working in R
• Open water SCUBA certification
• Valid license to drive in the State of Florida

Expected Start Date: March 2025
Duration: 1 year with the possibility to extend depending on performance and funding
Interested applicants should submit as a single electronic file: 1) a cover letter, 2) resume, and 3) the names and contact information for three references, before 5pm February 15, 2025