Research Assistant / Project Officer (Animal Movement Ecology)

About the role

The Asian School of the Environment (ASE) at Nanyang Technological University is hiring a research assistant / project officer to provide operational support for a new lab in movement ecology and conservation. The role supports a project tracking shorebirds in Southeast Asia and other projects tracking urban birds in Singapore, covering field work, lab work, data management and administrative tasks.

Key responsibilities

• Provide general administrative support and handle procurement for the lab's research projects
• Manage inventory of laboratory and field consumables and oversee equipment maintenance
• Assist in applying for fieldwork permits and importing specimens
• Assist in lab work, including identifying macrozoobenthic species from sediment samples, determining their biomass and performing DNA metabarcoding
• Support field operations, including bird catching and deploying bird trackers
• Manage, curate and maintain databases for research data and biological specimens
• Ensure lab compliance with university health, safety and environmental regulations
• Write and update risk assessments and standard operating procedures for lab and field work
• Coordinate logistics of overseas fieldwork
• Train and give technical support to students doing research in the lab

Required profile

• Polytechnic diploma with 3 years of relevant experience, or a bachelor's degree in Ecology, Environmental Science, Biology, Animal Behaviour or a closely related field
• Organised and meticulous, able to manage large amounts of specimens and data
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Highly independent, proactive and a good team player

Required skills

• Preferred: basic molecular taxonomy (DNA extraction, PCR, gel electrophoresis, sequence data processing)
• Preferred: prior field experience with bird handling, mist-netting, bird ringing and tracker deployment
• Preferred: spatial data, GIS software or basic R for ecological data
• Preferred: relational databases, data quality control and cleaning
• Preferred: familiarity with local university administration, procurement systems and regulations