Research Job Opportunities

Position Overview

The postdoctoral fellow will assist the ARI in analyzing “omics” scale datasets, including microbiome, genome, epigenome and transcriptome data. They will participate in research initiatives focused on computer vision and machine learning implementations. They will collaborate on research projects and contribute to funding proposals related to fish physiology, nutrition, genetics and water quality.

The initial appointment for this position is two years, with the possibility of an extension, contingent of successful funding acquisition. The position is in the Aquaculture Research Institute at University of Idaho’s Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station, located in Hagerman, ID.

Job Duties

Contribute to the overall success of the Aquaculture Research Institute by (Estimated effort: 100%):

• Assist in analyzing “omics” scale datasets, including microbiome, genome, epigenome and transcriptome data
• Participate in research initiatives focused on computer vision and machine learning implementations
• Collaborate on research projects and contribute to funding proposals related to fish physiology, nutrition, genetics and water quality

Requirements

Education

• Doctoral degree (PhD) in Aquaculture, Fisheries Science, Animal Science, Bioinformatics, Molecular Biology or a related field

Experience

• Three years of research experience related to aquaculture, bioinformatics or a similar field
• Experience with bioinformatics tools and programming languages such as R, Python or Bash
• Experience analyzing omics scale data analysis (microbiome, genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic)
• Familiarity with aquaculture systems and species
• Strong scientific writing skills with a track record of publications

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• None

Preferred Qualifications

• Three years of research experience related to aquaculture, bioinformatics or a similar field
• Experience with bioinformatics tools and programming languages such as R, Python or Bash
• Experience analyzing omics scale data analysis (microbiome, genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic)
• Familiarity with aquaculture systems and species
• Strong scientific writing skills with a track record of publications

Additional information

• Apply through the University of Idaho Careers page
• In your application, please address all the minimum requirements in the Letter of Qualification. Preferential review of applicants to begin on October 18, 2024

Position Overview

The Office of Research and Faculty Development is seeking one Research Development Specialist I position or one Research Development Specialist II position. These positions work within a team-based environment to support the university’s strategic initiatives to grow research, scholarship and creative activities across all disciplines. They positions will perform proposal development and faculty development activities that facilitate both individual faculty members and research teams to become more competitive in securing external funding, including detailed proposal development assistance throughout all stages of proposal conceptual development and refinement. Successful applicant will be hired at the level for which they are qualified.

Research Development Specialist I

This position works collaboratively with faculty members, internal stakeholders and external funding agencies to grow the university’s research capacity and research competitiveness, leading to a growth in the university’s research funding portfolio. This position provides a 360-degree approach to provide grant-seeking faculty members with the services, resources and partnership to catalyze their success in securing extramural funding. This position plays a critical intellectual role in advancing the university’s strategic initiatives to grow research, scholarship and creative activities across all disciplines.

Duties may include:

• Provide direct support to faculty members in the development and review of high-quality, competitive grant proposals
• Provide detailed, constructive feedback on proposal documents, ensuring that documents are clear, concise and tailored to the specific requirements of the funding opportunity
• Serve as a liaison between faculty members and funding agencies during the proposal development process
• Develop the knowledge and expertise to deliver faculty development/training workshops and seminars to share best practices for developing competitive proposals
• Identify potential funding opportunities by researching various databases, government agencies and communications
• Assist with proposal editing and formatting to enhance clarity, style and competitiveness
• Disseminate funding opportunity announcements to appropriate faculty members and departments
• Other duties as assigned

Research Development Specialist II

This position works collaboratively with faculty members, internal stakeholders and external funding agencies to grow the university’s research capacity and research competitiveness, leading to a growth in the university’s research funding portfolio. This position provides a 360-degree approach to provide grant-seeking faculty members with the services, resources and partnership to catalyze their success in securing extramural funding. This position will focus on strategically identifying and aiding in the development of large-scale (>$1MM), multidisciplinary and/or multi-investigator proposals. This position plays a critical intellectual role in advancing the university’s strategic initiatives to grow research, scholarship and creative activities across all disciplines.

Duties may include:

• Work directly with faculty and research teams to guide the development and review of high-quality, competitive grant proposals
• Provide detailed, constructive feedback on proposal documents, ensuring that documents are clear, concise and tailored to the specific requirements of the funding opportunity
• Serve as a liaison between faculty members and funding agencies during the proposal development process
• Develop the knowledge and expertise to deliver faculty development/training workshops and seminars to share best practices for developing competitive proposals, especially for large, complex proposals
• Research and identify new funding opportunities aligned with the university’s research priorities
• Disseminate targeted funding opportunities to faculty and research teams and support them in strategizing proposal submissions to optimize success rates
• Other duties as assigned

Job Duties

Build university capacity for securing large and/or complex research grant proposals (>$1MM) and promote interdisciplinary research activities by:

• Using one’s discretion and informed judgment to provide detailed proposal development assistance and project management for large, complex federally funded research projects through all stages of proposal conceptual development and refinement, and staying current on these funding opportunities and policies (e.g., National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, Department of Defense)
• Researching U of I research strengths and capabilities to foster collaborations with faculty members and facilitate the development of research teams to formulate approaches for large and complex proposals
• Advising research teams about strategic proposal preparation strategy and timelines and monitor progress
• Being a liaison with external funders, including federal Program Officers and attend relevant webinars to learn how to enhance the competitiveness of grant proposals to these agencies.
• Developing and maintaining information about institutional research resources and capabilities for use in proposals
• Researching, monitoring and disseminating relevant research funding announcements from multiple sources
• Researching agency policies on strategic programs and developing relationships with funding agency program officials
• Developing and conducting proposal writing and other workshops, webinars and web materials for faculty looking to submit large proposals
• Advising faculty members on how to best engage with external funding agency program officers
• Researching and promoting awareness of large, complex, multidisciplinary federal funding opportunities across all disciplines
• Research Development Specialist I (5%)
• Research Development Specialist II (45%)

Build the university capacity for and improve the competitiveness of research grant proposals by:

• Using one’s discretion and informed judgement to advise and facilitate faculty members’ efforts to craft highly competitive grant proposals for extramural funding by providing expert advice, strategic consultation, project management and comprehensive review and editing of proposals
• Leading proposal planning and development to ensure alignment with funding objectives and maximize funding potential
• Conducting rigorous review and editing of proposal narratives, offering substantive content revisions, precise editing and thorough proofreading
• Ensuring exceptional clarity, organization, accuracy and adherence to funding agency guidelines, while elevating the overall quality of proposal content
• Advising faculty members about strategic proposal preparation strategy and timelines and monitor progress
• Being a liaison with external funders, including federal Program Officers and attending relevant webinars to learn how to enhance the competitiveness of grant proposals to these agencies.
• Developing and maintaining information about institutional research resources and capabilities for use in proposals
• Researching, monitoring and disseminating relevant research funding announcements from multiple sources
• Researching agency policies on strategic programs and developing relationships with funding agency program officials
• Research Development Specialist I (60%)
• Research Development Specialist II (20%)

Enhance the university’s research culture and cultivate faculty members’ grantsmanship skills by (Estimated effort 30%):

• Researching research development industry best practices and developing deep expertise to develop and deliver workshops, seminars and cohort programming for faculty and staff to enhance their proposal writing skills and strategies
• Developing and delivering high-quality faculty developing programming to best position faculty members to develop competitive grant proposals for funding opportunities of importance to the university mission and strategy to grow the university’s research funding portfolio
• Developing and implementing faculty cohort-based programming to enhance the competitiveness of grant proposals that align with university research portfolio growth strategy and goals
• Advising faculty members, especially early career faculty, to develop strategic plans for the submission of competitive research proposals
• Researching funding opportunities and disseminating these to appropriate groups across campus and advising on competitive proposal development strategies
• Consulting with faculty members to promote awareness of funding opportunities and strategies for competitive proposal development across all disciplines
• Advising faculty members on how to best engage external funding agency program officers

Contributes to the overall success of the ORED team by (Estimated effort: 5%):

• Attending federal funding agency and professional organization conferences/meetings to stay up-to-date on funding priorities and best practices in competitive proposal development
• Coordinating ORED efforts with other proposal support staff across centers, colleges and departments as needed

Contributes to the overall benefit of the University of Idaho by (Estimated effort: 5%):

• Serving on university committees as appropriate
• Attending educational and professional development workshops and classes to improve knowledge and skills
• Performing other duties as assigned

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree; four additional years of experience (for a total of seven or nine years) may substitute for a Bachelor’s Degree

Experience

Research Development Specialist I

• Three years in research development, proposal writing or development, research, research administration, communications or professional editing
• Editing and writing business correspondence using proper grammar and punctuation as demonstrated in application materials
• Handling a variety of projects simultaneously that require a high degree of attention to administrative details
• Using computer software and applications for word processing, email, internet searches and data organization

Research Development Specialist II

• Five years in research development, proposal writing or development, research, research administration, communications or professional editing
• Editing and writing business correspondence using proper grammar and punctuation as demonstrated in application materials
• Handling a variety of projects simultaneously that require a high degree of attention to administrative details
• Using computer software and applications for word processing, email, internet searches and data organization

Required Other

• Must be able to travel for professional development opportunities as required

Preferred Qualifications

Research Development Specialist I

• Bachelor’s Degree in English, Communications, Public Administration, Social Sciences, Humanities or a STEM field
• Master’s Degree or Doctoral Degree
• Strong knowledge of proposal processes and programs for government, foundation and corporate funders
• Familiarity with funding databases (e.g., Grants.gov, Foundation Directory Online)
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders
• Experience working in higher education or a research-intensive environment
• Ability to analyze and interpret complex funding guidelines and requirements
• Exceptional writing, editing and proofreading skills
• Group facilitation experience
• Project management experience

Research Development Specialist II

• Bachelor’s Degree in English, Communications, Public Administration, Social Sciences, Humanities or a STEM field
• Master’s Degree or Doctoral Degree
• Strong knowledge of proposal processes and programs for government, foundation and corporate funders
• Familiarity with funding databases (e.g., Grants.gov, Foundation Directory Online)
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders
• Experience working in higher education or a research-intensive environment
• Ability to analyze and interpret complex funding guidelines and requirements
• Exceptional writing, editing and proofreading skills

Additional Information

• Apply through the University of Idaho Careers page
• In your application, please address all the minimum requirements in the Letter of Qualification. Preferential review of applicants to begin on January 13, 2025