Research Support Specialist - Temporary

Research Support Specialist - Temporary

Ames, IA

Part time

Posted Today

Job Requisition ID: R20011

Position Title: Research Support Specialist - Temporary

Appointment Type: Professional & Scientific

Job Description:

Summary of Duties and Responsibilities: The W.M. Keck Metabolomics Research Laboratory is seeking a Temporary Research Support Specialist to provide technical, analytical, and operational support for metabolomics and small molecule analysis projects. The position will assist laboratory staff with urgent instrumentation maintenance, high priority project coordination, data analysis, crucial method and platform devolvement and onboarding, and general laboratory operations as needed.

The individual will support metabolomics research activities in a fee for service core facility using advanced analytical instrumentation. The position will help boost laboratory operations, improve analytical workflows, and expand laboratory capacity through method optimization, preventive maintenance, and operational improvements.

This temporary position provides flexible support across instrumentation maintenance, analytical method development/onboarding, project coordination, data analysis, and laboratory administration. The role is designed to strengthen and recover laboratory operations while advancing new and existing analytical methodologies and improving overall laboratory efficiency.

The individual will have strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously. They will also have effective written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, students, and external researchers.

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Biology, Analytical Chemistry, Bioinformatics, or a related scientific discipline.
• Experience working in a research or analytical laboratory environment.
• Experience with analytical instrumentation and associated software platforms.
• Experience with scientific data analysis, data management, or research workflows.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Analytical Chemistry, Bioinformatics, or a related field.
• Experience operating, maintaining, troubleshooting, and optimizing analytical instrumentation, including GC-MS, HPLC, LC-MS, GC-FID, or related platforms.
• Experience processing, analyzing, and interpreting mass spectrometry or chromatography data.
• Experience with metabolomics, lipidomics, amino acid analysis, or related small-molecule analytical workflows.
• Experience supporting collaborative research projects and communicating technical findings to diverse scientific audiences.
• Experience developing, documenting, validating, or improving analytical methods and standard operating procedures.
• Experience with inventory management, laboratory operations, training, or user support in a shared or core research facility environment.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

Proposed Start Date: October 15, 2026

Time Type: Part time

Pay Grade: P&S Temporary

Original Posting Date: September 29, 2026

Posting Close Date:

Job Requisition Number: R20011

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 2680 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612.