ANIMAL TECHNICIAN 2 (TEMPORARY) - University of Washington

Req #: 242753 Department: PSYCHOLOGY Posting Date: 01/23/2025 Closing Info: Closes On 02/06/2025 Salary: $21.14 - $23.76 per hour Shift: First Shift Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/04/benefits-summary-classified-staff-less-than-half-time-20240419-a11y3.pdf) As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world. UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty. The Wang Lab is seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented **Animal Technician II (ATII)** to join our cephalopod research team. This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to innovative research while gaining hands-on experience with fascinating marine animals. The successful candidate will play a key role in the care, maintenance, and wellbeing of our cephalopod population, ensuring a clean and safe environment for our research animals. Join a passionate team committed to advancing our understanding of cephalopod neuroscience! **BASIC FUNCTION** Independently perform routine husbandry tasks involved in the care and feeding of aquatic animals, and maintenance of aquatics animal facilities. **DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS** Perform basic preventive animal health maintenance duties and select administrative functions. Independently perform routine and advanced animal care duties. **DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES** The primary responsibility of this role is to provide daily care for cephalopods used in research, including feeding, monitoring behavior and health, and maintaining optimal water quality and environmental conditions. Full hands-on training will be provided if necessary. + Perform the duties of Animal Technician I independently, including feeding a varied diet of frozen, dried, and live food to research animals at all life stages, cleaning tanks and associated equipment, and maintaining a clean and organized work environment. + Observe and document animal health indicators such as feeding behavior, alertness, respiration, color changes, growth, and general activity levels. Identify and report early signs of disease, and log abnormal behaviors and mortalities. + Acquire live feed as needed by methods such as crabbing, coordinating with collaborators, or sourcing from suppliers. + Assist lab members with research activities, including animal transport, anesthesia, euthanasia, and biological sample collection. Participate in additional research tasks as needed. + Train new lab members in cephalopod health, handling, and care practices, and supervise the work of junior research assistants as necessary. Provide guidance and support to other lab members to foster a collaborative and productive team environment. + Collect and analyze water and environmental samples to ensure water quality standards are maintained. + Maintain, install, or modify aquatics systems, behavioral rigs, and other non-fixed equipment necessary for animal health and research; document equipment maintenance and repairs according to facility guidelines. + Troubleshoot and manage aquatic life support systems, including filtration, salinity, temperature, and remote monitoring. + Communicate and collaborate with external partners or regulatory agencies via email and telephone as needed. + Perform administrative tasks to support facility operations, including maintaining animal care protocols and logs, ordering supplies, filing permits and licenses, submitting required logs to regulatory agencies, and ensuring compliance with regulations. + Support health and sanitation inspections and serve as a point of contact during emergencies. + Stay current on aquatic laboratory animal husbandry practices and industry standards. **MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS** + American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) certification. + One year of experience as an Animal Technician 1 or equivalent. **Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.** **ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS** + Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team: demonstrated ability to lead by example, experience in mentoring or training others, excellent communication and interpersonal skills to guide and motivate team members effectively. + Ability to learn new techniques. + Attention to detail and strong organizational abilities. + Ability to work on weekends and holidays as needed. **DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS** + Strong interest in animal care, cephalopod research, and advancing scientific discovery. + Hands-on experience in the care of aquatic animals. + Comfortable working in wet environments and handling live marine organisms. + Background in marine biology, animal physiology, invertebrate biology, or a closely related field. University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.