Salary and Benefits

PLEASE NOTE: The starting salary placement depends on qualifications and experience and is anticipated to be in the range of $5,279.00 per month to $7,415.00 per month.

Cal State East Bay offers a broad range of benefits that includes medical, dental, vision, retirement (CalPERS), 401k, 457, 403(b), dependent and health care reimbursement accounts, life insurance, vacation and sick, 14 paid holidays, one personal holiday and tuition fee waiver.

For more information on the benefits program, please visit our benefits website. The CSU Total Compensation Calculator demonstrates the significance of our benefits package.

This position may be eligible to participate in the Cal State East Bay hybrid telecommute program subject to management approval. 

Classification

Research Technician III

About Cal State East Bay

Cal State East Bay's beautiful main campus is located in the Hayward hills with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay shoreline. Situated above the city of Hayward, the campus offers an ideal setting for teaching and learning and yet easy access to the many cities along the bay. The University has a satellite campus in Concord, a professional development center in Oakland and a significant presence online. Founded in 1957, Cal State East Bay is one of 23 universities of the California State University system (CSU). Cal State East Bay is recognized as a regionally engaged and globally oriented university with a strong commitment to academic innovation, student success, engaged and service learning, diversity, and sustainability.

About the Position

Please Note: Review of applications will begin on June 7, 2025.

This is a full-time, temporary position through June 30, 2026 with the possibility of reappointment.

The Lab Research Technician ensures the continuous production, collection, processing, and archiving of environmental data collected at a meso-network of biometeorological field sites across California for the Oikawa Laboratory at the Cal State East Bay campus. This role is responsible for the day-to-day operation, maintenance, and calibration of on-going field measurements of carbon, water and energy exchange between vegetation canopies and the atmosphere and the environmental sensors that measure the condition of the air, soil and water. The Lab Research Technician trains and provides lead work direction to undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and visitors on laboratory and field techniques, as needed. This position writes analysis reports on sensor performance tests and calibrations, data quality and gap filling, and processes raw meteorological data to compute eddy covariance fluxes of mass and energy exchange. The Lab Research Technician also assists with the development and testing of new sensors and methods.

Responsibilities

Contribute to the Design, Execution and Reporting of Research Studies:

• In consultation with the project leader, (e.g. faculty), help propose research questions.
• Develop new research protocols and methods based on the proposed research questions.
• Carry out proposed research design from inception to data collection, required reports, granting agencies and publications.
• Lead graduate and undergraduate researchers in conducting the above studies.
• Contribute to the preparation of publications and conference presentations.

Maintain, Operate and Design Technical Experimental Equipment:

• Set up and validate correct/accurate operation of research related equipment (e.g., a carbon dioxide, methane eddy covariance tower).
• Perform field maintenance, calibration and troubleshooting of research related equipment, e.g., a carbon dioxide, methane eddy covariance tower.
• Assist with the development and testing of new sensors.
• Design new observation systems in collaboration with other researchers.

Collect, Organize and Analyze Quantitative Data:

• Regularly collect data from research equipment, e.g., visit research site to collect/download data.
• Curate database into which raw data are ingested and processed. 
• Submit processed data to appropriate databases for dissemination and sharing, (e.g., to Ameriflux Data Archive at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory).
• Lead graduate and undergraduate researchers in the analysis of the collected data.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: 

• Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university. (Additional qualifying professional experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.)

Experience: 

• Three (3) years of progressively responsible technical research or statistical experience including or supplemented by one (1) year in the interpretation and graphic presentation of data.
• Graduate study in the social sciences, economics, mathematics, statistics, public or business administration or engineering may be substituted for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.

Knowledge and Abilities: 

• Thorough knowledge of research techniques, including the planning of studies and investigations, the determining of variables and the developing of reference materials.
• Thorough knowledge of research reporting techniques.
• General knowledge of machine tabulation techniques and the programming of data.
• Thorough knowledge of the techniques and treatment of data such as simple correlation methods, trend analysis, frequency distribution analysis, sampling techniques, hypothesis testing and methods of interval estimation.
• Familiarity with the principles of personnel management and effective supervision and ability to direct the work of others.
• Ability to reason logically and capacity for independent and creative thinking on research problems.
• ability to develop techniques for handling a large variety of detailed data and ability to analyze these data.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships.
• Ability to speak and write effectively.
• Ability to analyze situations accurately and to adopt an effective course of action.

Preferred Skills and Knowledge

Education: 

• A Bachelor's of Arts or Science, or Master's of Science in engineering, physics, environmental science, or related STEM field.

Experience: 

• Two (2) or more years in an academic research environment.
• Experience in the design, fabrication, and assembly of scientific equipment involving consideration of such factors as cost, operating life, safety, size tolerances, installation and location of components, surface finishes, corrosion and machinability.
• Experience with website and database management (PHP, phpMyAdmin, Javascript, SQL, HTML).
• Experience programming collaboratively (e.g. Github, BitBucket, Sourcetree).

Knowledge and Abilities:

• Immediate to advanced knowledge of solar power systems, meteorological sensors, gas analyzers, data loggers and programming languages, such as Matlab, Python, or R.
• Experience with skilled operation, repair, maintenance, and calibration of sophisticated and specialized scientific equipment in a laboratory or in the field, some of which may be deployed underground, underwater or at height.
• A combination of skills from different disciplines, crafts or trades for the design, fabrication, and construction of electric and electromechanical scientific equipment.
• Ability to train undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in field or laboratory techniques.
• Ability to organize and lead routine trips to field sites with students, staff, and/or visiting scholars.
• Ability to work with vendors to obtain quotes and information about specific instrumentation.
• Ability to accommodate a flexible schedule and work efficiently.
• Ability to work on multiple assignments, set priorities, reprioritize as necessary, and take initiative in defining and executing tasks.

Condition(s) of Employment

Satisfactory completion of a background check (including LiveScan, as appropriate), that may include, but is not limited to: criminal records check, verification of academic credentials, licenses, certificates, credit history, professional references and/or verification of work history is required for employment.  Cal State East Bay will issue a conditional offer of employment to the selected candidate, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Unsatisfactory results may also affect the continued employment of current Cal State East Bay employees who were conditionally offered the position.

All background checks are conducted through the university's third party vendor, Accurate. LiveScan is conducted through the University Police Department.

EEO Statement

All university programs and activities are open and available to all regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, Cal State, East Bay provides equal opportunity in education and employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every student and employee has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed in a university environment and in their communities. The CSU complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s  Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy. We prohibit discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all university programs, policies, and practices.

Other Information

All California State University campuses, including Cal State East Bay, are smoke and tobacco-free.  For more information, please visit our website here.

In compliance with state and federal crime awareness and campus security legislation, including The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, the Cal State East Bay Annual Campus Security Report is available here. 

Sponsorship

Cal State East Bay is not a sponsoring agency for Staff or Management positions and we are not an E-Verify employer.

Mandated Reporter

The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 Revised July 21, 2017 as a condition of employment.