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Senior Research Associate I (Internal Employment Opportunity)

Oregon State University

Senior Research Associate I (Internal Employment Opportunity)

Oregon State University

Department: VP for Research (RIP)

Appointment Type: Academic Faculty

Job Location: Corvallis

Recommended Full-Time Salary Range: Salary is commensurate with skills, education and experience.

Job Summary:

This is an Internal Employment Opportunity.

The Division of Research and Innovation invites applications for a full-time (1.00 FTE ), 12-month, Senior Research Associate I position. Reappointment is at the discretion of the Director.

The Senior Research Associate supports the Materials & Molecular Characterization Core by serving as a scientific and operational lead within the research environment, with a primary role centered on ownership of complex workflows, data interpretation, and scientific/operational direction. This position provides high‑level coordination across projects, platforms, and instrumentation areas, ensuring alignment of users, resources, and timelines. The Senior Research Associate analyzes and interprets data, offering insight that directly informs study direction and decision‑making, and designs, modifies, and optimizes complex protocols, adapting methods to novel or non‑routine challenges. The role oversees and prioritizes project workflows, acts as a primary point of contact for complex or multi‑platform projects, and advises investigators on feasibility and experimental approach. The Senior Research Associate anticipates and resolves technical and operational challenges independently, provides functional guidance to other staff including FRAs and contributes directly to scientific strategy, experimental design, and problem framing, ensuring high‑quality, forward‑looking research support.

Why OSU?

Working for Oregon State University is so much more than a job!

Oregon State University is a dynamic community of dreamers, doers, problem-solvers and change-makers. We don’t wait for challenges to present themselves — we seek them out and take them on. We welcome students, faculty and staff from every background and perspective into a community where everyone feels seen and heard. We have deep-rooted mindfulness for the natural world and all who depend on it, and together, we apply knowledge, tools and skills to build a better future for all.

FACTS :

• Top 1.4% university in the world

• More research funding than all public universities in Oregon combined

• 1 of 3 land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the U.S.

• 2 campuses, 11 colleges, 12 experiment stations, and Extension programs in all 36 counties

• 7 https://hr.oregonstate.edu/work-life/diversity-and-cultural-resources that offer education, celebration and belonging for everyone

• 100+ undergraduate degree programs, 80+ graduate degrees plus hundreds of minor options and certificates

• 35k+ students including more than 2.3k international students and 10k students of color

• 217k+ alumni worldwide

• For more interesting facts about OSU visit: https://oregonstate.edu/about

Locations:

Oregon State has a statewide presence with campuses in Corvallis and Bend, the OSU Portland Center and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Pacific Coast in Newport.

Oregon State’s beautiful, historic and state-of-the-art main campus is located in one of America’s best college towns. Corvallis is located close to the Pacific Ocean, the Cascade mountains and Oregon wine country. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, this beautiful city offers miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a river perfect for boating or kayaking and an eclectic downtown featuring local cuisine, popular events and performances.

Total Rewards Package:

Oregon State University offers a https://hr.oregonstate.edu/benefits/prospective-employee with benefits eligible positions that is designed to meet the needs of employees and their families including:

• Medical, Dental, Vision and Basic Life. OSU pays 95% of premiums for you and your eligible dependents.

• Free confidential mental health and emotional support services, and counseling resources.

• Retirement savings paid by the university.

• A generous paid leave package, including holidays, vacation and sick leave.

• Tuition reduction benefits for you or your qualifying dependents at OSU or the additional six Oregon Public Universities.

• Robust Work Life programs including Dual Career assistance resources, flexible work arrangements, a Family Resource Center, Affinity Groups and an Employee Assistance Program.

• Optional lifestyle benefits such as pet, accident, and critical illness insurance, giving you peace of mind and the support you need to thrive in all aspects of your life.

Oregon State University is deeply committed to the principles of a Health Promoting University. This commitment drives a collaborative approach across OSU’s safety and well-being programs, reducing silos and coordinating efforts to enhance employee safety and well-being. By prioritizing resources that support the health of both employees and students, OSU fosters a culture of care and a healthier campus environment where everyone can thrive.

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Future and current OSU employees can use the https://hr.oregonstate.edu/benefits/new-employees/benefits-calculator to learn more about the full value of the benefits provided at OSU .

Key Responsibilities

45% – Cross-Platform Analytical Leadership, Instrument Operation, Training, and User Support

• Lead cross-coordination of sample analysis within the MMCC by evaluating project needs and determining how work should be carried out across mass spectrometry and complementary analytical capabilities, including sequencing, NMR , X-ray diffraction, and related shared instrumentation.

• Provide advanced mass spectrometry analysis and oversee movement of projects across multiple analytical platforms to ensure effective workflow design, high-quality data generation, and efficient use of core resources.

• Train and mentor students, staff, and researchers in sample preparation, instrument operation, analytical workflows, and interpretation of results across complex instrumentation environments.

• Train qualified users to become independent operators on complex analytical instruments while maintaining safety, quality, and data integrity standards.

• Support internal and external users by recommending appropriate analytical approaches, answering technical questions, and ensuring consistent, high-level service delivery across the core environment.

• Maintain records related to instrument use, project support, workflow decisions, and core operations as needed for reproducibility, service delivery, and cost recovery.

30% – Advanced Method Development, Workflow Integration, Research Collaboration, and Proposal Support

• Serve as a senior MMCC scientific resource for advanced mass spectrometry applications, with particular emphasis on small-molecule analysis including metabolomics and lipidomics, while integrating those capabilities with complementary analytical approaches.

• Develop, adapt, validate, and implement analytical methods and integrated workflows across platforms when established protocols do not exist or are insufficient to meet research needs.

• Perform data processing, interpretation, synthesis, and reporting needed to support research projects, grant proposals, manuscripts, and technical decision-making.

• Guide complex collaborative projects by advising on analytical feasibility, project design, platform sequencing, and interpretation of multi-modal analytical results.

• Participate in proposal development and infrastructure planning by contributing analytical expertise, capability assessments, and recommendations for future instrumentation and service development.

20% – Operational Coordination, Quality, Maintenance, and Laboratory Stewardship

• Coordinate day-to-day operations across assigned instrumentation and related analytical activities to support reliable service, efficient scheduling, and continuity of operations.

• Perform and oversee routine maintenance and troubleshooting on HPLC systems, mass spectrometers, and associated analytical equipment, and coordinate repairs, replacement parts, and service needs.

• Contribute to establishment and continuous improvement of technical standards, documentation practices, safety expectations, and user experience across the MMCC .

• Support laboratory stewardship by following and reinforcing safety, documentation, and hazardous materials and waste requirements.

• Occasionally support other core equipment and related operational needs as required.

5% – Other Duties as Assigned

What You Will Need

• Ph.D. in a STEM field.

• A minimum of 7 years of experience using advanced mass spectrometry platforms, such as Orbitrap and quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF ) instruments, with common front-end separation and ionization configurations including liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (LC-MS/ESI ), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI ).

• Demonstrated excellence in metabolomics, lipidomics, or related small-molecule analysis using mass spectrometry.

• Demonstrated ability to work across mass spectrometry together with multiple complementary analytical approaches, such as sequencing, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR ), X-ray diffraction (XRD ), or related shared research instrumentation, and to coordinate sample analysis across those capabilities.

• Demonstrated ability to independently develop, adapt, validate, and implement new analytical methodologies and integrated workflows when established protocols do not exist or are insufficient.

• Demonstrated ability to evaluate research needs and determine appropriate analytical strategies, including when projects require coordination across multiple instruments or analytical platforms.

• Demonstrated ability to process, interpret, integrate, and communicate complex analytical data in support of research projects, technical decision-making, manuscripts, or collaborative scientific work.

• Demonstrated ability to train, mentor, and support students, staff, and researchers in the use of complex analytical instrumentation and in the development of independent technical capability within a shared core laboratory environment.

• Demonstrated ability to perform routine maintenance and advanced troubleshooting on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC ) systems, mass spectrometers, and related analytical equipment and to support reliable day-to-day operations.

• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent and collaborative research and to contribute scientific leadership to research proposals, grant applications, or shared research infrastructure planning.

• Effective oral and written communication skills and the ability to interact productively with a broad range of researchers, users, collaborators, and stakeholders.

This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per University Standard: 05-010 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

What We Would Like You to Have

• Experience leading or coordinating research projects that require integration of mass spectrometry with other analytical capabilities such as NMR , sequencing, X-ray diffraction, or related shared instrumentation.

• Experience in a shared core laboratory environment with responsibility for cross-platform workflow development, user consultation, or technical coordination across multiple instruments or service areas.

• Experience writing and supporting research and infrastructure grants.

• Experience participating in manuscript preparation, technical protocol development, and publication of analytical results.

• Experience providing lead work, technical mentorship, or informal supervision in a research or core facility environment.

Working Conditions / Work Schedule

• This position is based on campus.

• Occasional travel may be required for training, conferences, and meetings with external stakeholders.

Special Instructions to Applicants

This is an Internal Employment Opportunity.

When applying you will be required to attach the following electronic documents:

1) A resume/CV; and

2) A cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position.

You will also be required to submit the names of at least three professional references, their e-mail addresses and telephone numbers as part of the application process.

For additional information please contact:

Luther McDonald at Luther.Mcdonaldiv@oregonstate.edu

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status.

OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire.

OSU is a fair chance employer committed to inclusive hiring. We encourage applications from candidates who bring a wide range of lived experience including involvement with the justice system. This job has “critical or security-sensitive” responsibilities. If you are selected as a finalist, your initial job offer will be contingent upon the results of a job-related pre-employment check (such as a background check, motor vehicle history check, sexual misconduct reference check, etc.). Background check results do not automatically disqualify a candidate. Take a look at our https://hr.oregonstate.edu/careers/background-checks website including the https://hr.oregonstate.edu/careers/candidates section for more details. If you have questions or concerns about the pre-employment check, please contact OSU’s Employee and Labor Relations team at employee.relations@oregonstate.edu.

To apply, please visit: https://apptrkr.com/7216725

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