Description

In accordance with overall technical direction, guidance, and protocols provided by grantees, subcontractors, and the National Science Foundation, the team is looking for an alternate opening for three different laboratory positions in Palmer Station, Antarctica for the Austral Winter season (2025).

As an alternate, you may be asked to deploy to Antarctica for any of the below listed positions.

• Palmer Laboratory Manager
• Palmer Instrument Technician
• Palmer Research Associate

• Assists in review of research requirements, planning and scheduling of laboratory support for science projects.
• Reviews environmental restrictions and permitting and ensures that grantee user groups are compliant. Tracks and reports on environmental disturbances in the Palmer area.
• Allocates laboratory resources including labs, instruments, chemicals and lab supplies to upcoming laboratory users.
• Orders chemicals and laboratory supplies and assists with cargo tracking for materials.
• Oversees and assists in carrying out what is needed to complete the science objectives outlined in the Research Support Plan approved by NSF, ASC, and the PI for science groups.
• Carryout supervisor responsibilities for the Palmer Science Support staff (research associate and instrument technician).
• Assists in researching, evaluating, justifying, and procuring laboratory and field instruments and equipment.
• Assists in receipt and inventory of capital equipment, instruments, materials and supplies.
• Provides input to the S&TPS Peninsula Implementation Manager on suggested improvements to the laboratories and the associated systems that would enhance their use as research facilities.
• Briefs scientists on safe laboratory practices and procedures and monitors compliance to Occupational Safety and Health Administration Laboratory Standard and radiation safety.
• Assists in monitoring the receipt, inventory, and proper use and disposal of hazardous laboratory chemicals including radioisotopes.
• Assists in segregating and packaging laboratory solid wastes for proper disposal, reuse, and/or recycling.
• Assists in the installation, calibration, and maintenance of instruments and equipment.
• Assists in maintaining appropriate and accurate inventories of spare parts.
• Assists in packaging of capital equipment, instruments, materials, and supplies for recalibration, repair, or replacement.
• Assists in scheduling and coordinating the fabrication of equipment and other support requests made by science projects.
• Assists in providing cryogens, monitoring the safe use of cryogens, and monitoring a cryogenic supplies inventory.
• Conducts briefings on research and tours of the laboratory facilities for distinguished visitors.
• Responsible for implementing and maintaining a safe workplace program and ensuring that safety is the highest priority on the job site.
• Prepares weekly, monthly and end of season status reports as necessary.
• Performs other duties as required, including community duties such as janitorial, snow removal and emergency response.

• Assists in review of research requirements, planning and scheduling of laboratory support for science projects.
• Assists in researching, evaluating, justifying, and procuring laboratory and field instruments and equipment.
• Assists in receipt and inventory of capital equipment, instruments, materials and supplies.
• Provides input to the S&TPS Peninsula Implementation Manager on suggested improvements to the laboratories and the associated systems that would enhance their use as research facilities.
• Briefs scientists on safe laboratory practices and care and maintenance of USAP owned instrumentation.
• Assists in monitoring the receipt, inventory, and proper use and disposal of hazardous laboratory chemicals including radioisotopes.
• Assists in segregating and packaging laboratory solid wastes for proper disposal, reuse, and/or recycling.
• Assists in the installation, calibration, and maintenance of instruments and equipment.
• Assists in maintaining appropriate and accurate inventories of spare parts.
• Assists in packaging of capital equipment, instruments, materials, and supplies for recalibration, repair, or replacement.
• Assists in scheduling and coordinating the fabrication of equipment and other support requests made by science projects.
• Assists in providing cryogens, monitoring the safe use of cryogens, and monitoring a cryogenic supplies inventory.
• Conducts briefings on research and tours of the laboratory facilities for distinguished visitors.
• Responsible for implementing and maintaining a safe workplace program and ensuring that safety is the highest priority on the job site.
• Prepares weekly and end of season status reports as necessary.
• Performs other duties as required, including community duties such as janitorial, snow removal and emergency response.

• Maintains, trouble shoots, and repairs a variety of equipment used in the long-term monitoring of physical phenomena including (but not limited to) UV spectroradiometers, GPS receivers, VLF radio receivers, neutron and radio-nuclide detectors, seismometers, magnetometers, photometers, interferometers, air sampling units, and other instruments.
• Collects, archives, and transmits data and status reports to project researchers.
• Collects and prepares samples for shipment, maintains inventory of flasks and works with logistics department to ensure adequate flask inventory for the next season.
• Regularly employs ingenuity and creativity to develop new technical solutions and systems to achieve functional objectives.
• Uses digital and analog electronic equipment to diagnose and repair instruments and computer hardware failures.
• Supports Grantees by ensuring timely problem resolution, minimizing data collection interruptions, and notifying grantees of outages, issues, and maintenance schedules.
• Maintains appropriate project logbooks, documents and email records. Updates standard operating procedures.
• Administers, operates, and maintains computer-based data acquisition systems. Coordinates with the IT department on computer configurations and networking topology issues such as firewall access and IP addresses.
• Receives and inventories capital equipment, instruments, materials, and supplies. Maintains accurate inventory of spare parts for equipment and instruments and prepares resupply lists.
• Assists with life-cycle management and informs grantees or staff on replacement timelines.
• Occasionally conducts briefings on research and tours of facilities for distinguished visitors.
• Performs other duties as required.
• Calibrates and repairs meteorological, thermosalinograph, and tide gauge instrumentation. Collects and distributes encoded synoptic weather reports in conformance with WMO standards.
• Operates and maintains a weather satellite tracking antenna. Knowledge of low-earth-orbit (LEO) and polar orbit satellite systems, and multi-spectral image processing. Demonstrates understanding of visible, infrared, and microwave imagery products.
• Provides real-time imagery, remote-sensing support, and other data as needed for logistical and operational concerns as requested by research vessel or operations personnel.
• Maintains, operates, and repairs meteorological equipment and weather towers, including programming MATLAB, python, Access, SQL and PowerShell scripts to integrate data with network.
• Manual labor as needed including excavating buried experiments and station maintenance.
• Community duties which will include washing dishes and cleaning common areas.

• Requires deep understanding of and ability to apply principles, theories, and concepts of technical domain and has broad understanding of other related specialty areas.
• Typically requires BS and 4+ years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 2+ years of prior relevant experience.
• Must be able to work independently to achieve day-to-day objectives with significant impact on operational results or project deliverables.
• Good organizational and time management skills
• Fluency with networking topics and file transfer tools required. Administrator familiarity for Macintosh and Linux/Unix platforms required.
• Must be a US Citizen or green card holder.

• Master's degree or higher in Physics, or other engineering discipline is preferred.
• Four years of laboratory or observatory technical work experience. Laboratory or observatory technical work should include operational experience utilizing analytical equipment.
• A background in an academic research environment providing direct support to science projects is preferred.
• Basic soldering, familiarity with circuits and radio transmission (UHF, VHF) is preferred.
• Experience in general computer repair including IBM-PC, Macintosh and network equipment preferred.
• Experience with Powershell, Python, Access, and SQL databases; RA should be able to write and repair scripts for automation and reporting, including visualizations.
• A background in an academic research environment providing direct support to science projects is highly desirable.
• Previous experience working in Antarctica or another remote research station is desired.
• Participation on an Emergency Response Team (ERT) is highly recommended. Examples are the Fire Brigade, Trauma Team and Search and Rescue