Research Assistant (Honey Bee Lab)

Job Summary

The Auburn University Bee Lab is seeking a highly motivated individual to join the AU-Bees Honey Bee group to provide professional research and extension assistance in the area of apiculture (honey bee biology, health, and management)!

The successful candidate will join a team (currently a lead technician, one post-doc, and multiple graduate and undergraduate students) that contributes to multi-year projects that are working in collaboration with several partner pollinator health research groups, such as the USDA ARS Stoneville Pollinator Unit, the USDA ARS Baton Rouge Bee Unit, and The Ohio State University.

This is a two-year limited-term position with the possibility of annual extensions depending on performance and funding.

The University : Classified as a Carnegie R1 university, Auburn University is a public flagship land-grant institution with a student enrollment of more than 30,000.

The University provides instruction in approximately 70 academic departments and performs graduate research and public service across a variety of program areas.

The University is located in the city of Auburn in east-central Alabama, near the metropolitan areas of Birmingham, AL, and Atlanta, GA, as well as within 4 hours of scenic escapes like the southern Appalachians and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Department : The Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology is administered by the University’s historic College of Agriculture.

It houses over 20 faculty, 5 support staff, and more than 50 graduate students, all of whom work towards executing the University’s research, instruction, and extension missions.

Additional information can be found at

The Laboratory : The University’s Bee Lab, known as AU-BEES, currently consists of five graduate students supported by two faculty members, one post-doc, one laboratory manager, five full-time technicians, and multiple undergraduate students and local stakeholders.

Alongside our collaborators from across the globe, the AU-BEES team works toward promoting the health of bees through various research, instruction, and extension activities.

Additional information can be found at

Essential Functions Essential functions :

• Integrating into a beekeeping team that is directed by a lead honey bee lab technician
• Managing approximately 200 honey bee colonies for research and extension
• Conducting and assisting with laboratory and field experiments, including surveys that might require some travel away from Auburn
• Organizing Bee Lab activities and outreach events
• Operating large equipment, like trucks, motorized hive moving machines, honey extraction devices
• Working under challenging conditions (, ability to lift >

70 lbs and operate in hot / humid conditions with stinging insects)

Minimum Qualifications Minimum Qualifications Level I : Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Entomology, Biology, or related natural or social sciences field; no experience required.

Level II : Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Entomology, Biology, or related natural or social sciences field and 2 years of experience in research practices and protocols relevant to the position.

Level III : Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Entomology, Biology, or related natural or social sciences field and 4 years of experience in research practices and protocols relevant to the position.

Related Master’s degrees and above may substitute for years of experience.

Minimum Skills, License, and Certifications Minimum Skills and Abilities Minimum Technology Skills Minimum License and Certifications A valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain one prior to employment.

Desired Qualifications Desired Qualifications

• Knowledge and experience concerning honey bee biology and management, assisting with scientific experiments, and communicating to a diverse group of stakeholders, including students, scientists, beekeepers, and other agricultural producers
• At least 3-5 years of beekeeping experience; participation in a master beekeeping or equivalent program (preferred)
• Co-mentoring new beekeepers who have little to no experience, and supervising undergraduate students and technical workers
• Experience with woodworking tools and machinery
30+ days ago