We're hiring an undergraduate research intern
An opportunity for someone early in their scientific career
The Carini lab at the University of Arizona is looking for an undergraduate intern to assist our researchers with lab maintenance and research! This paid position requires you to be enrolled as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona. We’ll be accepting applications until the position is filled, with a start date of February 3rd, 2025. Our first review of applications will be December 2, 2024. It’s been over a year since we hired for a similar position, so this is an exciting and somewhat rare opportunity to join our team. After onboarding, you’ll start by working with a mix of in-person and asynchronous guidance on culture-based lab projects currently in progress, including but not limited to high throughput bacterial cultivation from soil, marine sediments, and more. Much of your work will focus on our California Institute for Biodiversity project to construct a “Living Atlas” of California’s belowground microbial diversity.
What can I expect on the job?
You’ll be acclimated to our lab by washing dishes, receiving & shelving orders, preparing the occasional outbound shipment, and other general lab upkeep. You’ll have some other infrequent administrative duties related to lab inventory & keeping up with safety requirements. These responsibilities will lay the foundation for you to be an active contributor to the research in our lab group and give you time to get used to how we do things. Ultimately, we want to teach you how to perform experiments, collect data, and contribute to our publications.
As you progress, you’ll learn a variety of lab skills as needed, including how to prepare bacterial growth media and grow cultures, revive microbes from frozen stocks, work with cultures on Petri plates and in broth, count cells using flow cytometry, extract and quantify DNA, conduct PCR, run electrophoresis gels, and generate sequence data. You’ll also be taught how to interpret the data you collect. But note we don’t expect you to do all these things without supervision right away—you’ll be paired with someone for research projects, and your responsibilities (and confidence!) will grow over time.
What are we looking for?
You’ll be a sophomore or junior interested in gaining laboratory research experience. You’ll also be looking to work full-time (up to 35 hours per week) in person through the summer months. Research experience isn't required for this position. We're looking for curious, detail-oriented people eager to begin their scientific careers. You'll learn lab techniques from the ground up, working alongside supportive colleagues who expect and welcome questions. While experiments won't always work as planned, your enthusiasm for discovery will help you persist through challenges. We value meticulous note-taking and careful work habits over prior lab skills. If you're ready to dive into hands-on research, communicate clearly with teammates, and maintain high attention to detail, we'll help you develop into a capable researcher. Your potential and willingness to learn matter more than your past experience.
This position requires you to work in person in a large lab space shared with three other research groups. You’ll be supervised by in-person, asynchronous, and/or remote communication mechanisms. Our lab is in the Keating building on the North side of campus. You’ll need to have reliable transportation to and from the building. We’re located right at the end of the streetcar line.
As an undergraduate, your primary responsibility is your coursework—full stop. We understand that and offer flexibility around your schedule. To start, you’ll be able to work up to 10 hours per week at $14.50 per hour. As you take on more responsibility and grow confident in your new position, we’ll extend your hours and pay.
We strongly encourage candidates of all different backgrounds and identities to apply. We believe the best science occurs when people from varied backgrounds come together to solve problems.
How you can apply:
Please submit a resume and cover letter that directly addresses your interest in this position. In your cover letter, tell us about yourself! Maybe touch on your favorite classes, or how you displayed leadership in a High School club or sports team. What attributes do you bring to the Carini Lab? How do you hope we play a role in your future? Tell us about what you’ve done and what excites you. We’ll also happily accept a traditional, well-constructed cover letter full of personal touches that show us how much you want this job.
We’re accepting applications until the position is filled with an anticipated start date of February 3rd, 2025. Email your application materials as a single .pdf attachment to Dr. Vivianna Sanchez at viviannasanchez@arizona.edu. You’ll get a reply from Dr. Sanchez when your application is received.
What happens after you submit?
We expect to take a few weeks to review all applications. Learn more about how we review applications here. You’ll hear from us by the 2nd week of January, about advancement to the interview stage. Expect up to two interviews (via Zoom or in-person), up to 30 minutes long, with your future colleagues. We’ll send you our questions in advance so there are no surprises.
We appreciate you giving us that consideration, and we promise to give you our full attention in return. We look forward to hearing from you!
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