Description

The Belin Lab (www.belinlab.org) is a diverse team of microbiologists and plant enthusiasts who recently moved to the University of Kentucky’s Department of Biology. We seek a lab manager / research technician to join the team in the Fall of 2026 and facilitate our research on cell biology of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and their symbioses with plants. This position will be full-time with a competitive salary (and benefit package.

The selected candidate will be joining a small, highly collegial laboratory with opportunities to engage with colleagues throughout the University of Kentucky’s vibrant research community. Dr. Belin is committed to the professional development of all hires and provides opportunities to participate in research, scientific writing, mentorship, and science communication activities, depending upon each hire’s career goals. All lab members also are encouraged to attend national research conferences, depending upon funding availability.

Position Summary:

The laboratory manager / research technician will be responsible for the management of the Belin laboratory’s research program activities. The manager will provide logistical support for research activities, including but not limited to organizing and maintaining research equipment and inventory, scheduling lab meetings and lab social events, ensuring cleanliness and safety of all laboratory areas, and coordinating material transfers with outside groups. The lab manager will also contribute to team research projects in the laboratory and may perform independent research up to 50% total effort, at the discretion of Dr. Belin.

Essential Functions: 

• Serve as proxy for the Dr. Belin in the lab, fostering a collaborative atmosphere among lab members while providing guidance regarding research safety and best practices.
• Schedule room reservations for meetings and organize work-related social activities with Dr. Belin, including lab retreats.
• Coordinate with university procurement specialists to place and track all orders and shipping requests for the lab, including maintaining an inventory of received items.
• Coordinate with university facilities, equipment vendors, and repair technicians, as needed, to integrate the laboratory’s research, operational, and administrative goals.
• Identify issues, risks, and inefficiencies in lab safety and lab management and work with lab members to identify and implement appropriate solutions.
• Schedule and oversee periodic “lab clean-up” days and ensure that weekly lab chores (refilling pipet tip boxes, autoclaving specialty glassware, preparing growth medium stocks, etc.) are completed efficiently by the manager or other lab members
• Contribute to laboratory team research projects and undertake independent research as determined by Dr. Belin.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications: 

• B.S./B.A. degree in a STEM field
• At least 1 year of related experience in a research environment (including undergraduate research assistantships)
• Experience with basic microbiology and molecular biology techniques (PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA purification, etc.)
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous experience as a lab manager
• Previous experience with cultivation of soil or non-model bacteria
• Familiarity with Golden Gate Assembly and/or the application of CRISPR, recombineering, or other modern genetic tools to bacteria

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent communication skills
• Superb organizational skills
• High level of professionalism
• Ability to multitask, specifically in balancing research and administrative tasks
• Above average proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint/Keynote), Google productivity apps (Drive, Docs, Sheets), and communication apps (Slack, Zoom)

Physical Demands/Working Conditions: This position is in a professional office environment. The incumbent will routinely use standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. While performing this job the incumbent will regularly talk, hear, stand, walk, use hand-to-finger movements to handle, touch, reach above the shoulders and arms to lift items as needed.

NOTE: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that could be required. The job duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.