Staff Research Associate 2 (Limited Pool)

Hiring Range

The University of California, Merced is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience. The full salary range for this position is Step 1: 30.32 - Step 25: 48.78. The budgeted hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is Step 1: $30.32/hr.
Job Closing Date

Review of applications will occur as openings become available. Candidates will be selected for temporary employment in various departments as positions become available. This position is reopened every six months so please re-apply if you remain interested in the position. This position will close on 6/30/2026.

These union positions are represented by the bargaining unit UPTE: Research Support Professionals - RX.

Please note: These are temporary positions.

Remote/Hybrid eligibility: Dependent on openings.
About UC Merced

The University of California, Merced, is the newest of the University of California system's 10 campuses and the first American research university built in the 21st century. With more than 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students, UC Merced offers an environment that combines a commitment to diversity, inclusion, collaboration, and professional development. With bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs, strong research and academic partnerships, and community involvement, the UC Merced campus is continually evolving and requires talented, knowledgeable, and dynamic educators, researchers, management and staff.

Ranked among the best public universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, UC Merced is uniquely equipped to provide educational opportunities for highly qualified students from the San Joaquin Valley and throughout California. The campus enjoys a special connection with nearby Yosemite National Park, is on the cutting edge of sustainability in construction and design and supports the economic development of Merced and the region.

In Fall 2016, UC Merced broke ground on a $1.3 billion public-private partnership that is unprecedented in higher education. The Merced 2020 Project nearly doubled the physical capacity of the campus, enhancing academic distinction, student success and research excellence. In 2018, UC Merced opened the Downtown Campus Center, a $33 million, three-story administrative building located in the heart of Merced.

To set the course of UC Merced's evolution, in 2021 UC Merced will enact its first-ever 10-year strategic plan. This plan will guide how the values of equity and justice influence our pathway toward earning Carnegie R1 research status, growing enrollment, upholding our identity as a minority-serving institution, and operationalizing how commitments to equity, diversity and inclusion are enacted within each campus unit. UC Merced is expected to engage in sophisticated thinking, planning, and implementation of actions that effectively diversify the professoriate and staff, improve campus climate for all campus constituency groups, and strengthen our equity, diversity, and inclusion infrastructure and capacity.
About the Job

Staff Research Associates (SRAs) perform or supervise the performance of laboratory and/or field experimental procedures in support of academically-supervised research and teaching in the natural, physical or social sciences; and perform other related duties as required.

Incumbents perform technical determinations and/or make technical observations in one or more fields of scientific endeavor that usually yield technical data about the phenomena under investigation. The fields may include chemistry, physics, biochemistry, microbiology, botany, zoology, psychology, biology, geology, bacteriology, and other similar fields. The technical determinations include, for example, biochemical, radiochemical, physical, and biological preparation, examination, and analysis of specimen material. Installation, operation, and maintenance of laboratory and field instruments may be an essential part of the duties. The technical data yielded are used primarily for research and teaching, but the data may also relate to public service, such as patient care or agricultural extension.

Incumbents work under academic supervision, although they may report directly to a higher level Staff Research Associate. They may participate or assist in teaching activities by discussing experimental procedures with students, demonstrating procedures, working with faculty in presenting, developing or modifying portions of course material, and by providing technical supervision to students and visitors during assigned periods. However, they do not have formal responsibility for teaching and course content. Normally, engagement in teaching activities is ancillary to engagement in research activities under academic supervision.

Essential Duties

Under supervision, incumbents perform (a) a wide variety of standard repetitive laboratory and/or field experimental procedures at the full operational or journey level of skill in one field of specialty; or (b) perform a limited variety of non-standard laboratory and/ or field experimental procedures requiring ingenuity, resourcefulness, and adaptability to special and changing needs of research in one specialized field; or (c) perform a limited variety or repetitive but highly specialized laboratory and/or field experimental procedures.

Modify, vary or adapt standard procedures to meet the needs of research projects, or improve tests that are unsatisfactory, and after studying available literature, analyze and alter conditions under which determinations are made. They may also acquire and apply a body of knowledge and skill in a field of comparatively narrow scope where the emphasis is on specialized techniques.

Assignments at this level of difficulty are typically non-supervisory; however, an SRA 2 NEX may also be assigned the management responsibility for a small laboratory unit, with at least one Staff Research Associate I or a group of lower-level laboratory employees such as Laboratory Assistants, Animal Technicians, etc. This type of responsibility typically includes ordering supplies and equipment and insuring proper operation and maintenance of laboratory equipment.

Assignments include, but not limited to:

Chemical analyst, performing a wide variety of chemical analyses, including qualitative and quantitative analyses of unknowns, by using standard methods and by developing modifications of standard methods to meet special needs.

Entomologist in biological control unit, in charge of rearing of various species of insects and parasites, including responsibility for determining the kind of food host to use, the age and culture of food host best suited, the timing of breeding and rearing operations, and kinds of parasites to rear on insects to best accomplish the experimental purposes involved.

Plant pathologist, identifying mycological organisms on plant material by microscopic examination and by keying down, using judgment when descriptions in literature are incomplete or inaccurate.

Microbiologist, isolating and purifying cultures of fungus and bacterial organisms from plant or animal materials, varying the method on each specimen to identify the organism and obtain a pure culture.

Histologist, performing a wide variety of standardized, but intricate and delicate procedures for preparing and examining plant materials for optical and/or electron microscopy.

Experimental psychologist, assisting in psychophysiological experiments on man and animals, preparing subjects for experiments, performing psychophysical tests, improving tests as necessary and analyzing and developing statistical data .

Electron microscopist, preparing tissue for electron microscopy, maintaining electron microscopes and photographic darkroom and prep room facilities, providing individual and classroom instruction on the use of the electron microscope and related facilities.
Qualifications

Incumbents are expected to possess the skills, knowledge, and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the positions. These skills, knowledge, and abilities are typically acquired through a combination of extensive study and experience.
Background Check

Background check will be required.
Policy Statement

How to Apply:
An online application is required for each position to apply.The University of California, Merced is aware that some web-based application processes may be cumbersome for differently abled applicants. Where appropriate, alternative accommodations will be provided. For applicants with disabilities who need additional assistance using TAM, or reasonable accommodations during the interview or search process, please contact ucmjobs@ucmerced.edu.

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

Equal Employment Opportunity:
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

Vaccination Program Policy:

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Policy. All Covered Individuals under the policy must provide proof of Full Vaccination or, if applicable, submit a request for Exception (based on Medical Exemption, Disability, and/or Religious Objection) or Deferral (based on pregnancy) no later than the applicable deadline. For new University of California employees, the applicable deadline is 14 days after their first date of employment.

Smoke and Tobacco Free Policy:
The University of California, Merced is a smoke and tobacco free workplace. Information and the Smoke and Tobacco Free policy is available at http://smokefree.ucmerced.edu.

E-Verify:
All employers who receive Federal contracts and grants are required to comply with E-Verify, an Internet-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA). E-Verify electronically verifies employment eligibility by comparing information provided on the I-9 form to records in the DHS and SSA databases. Certain positions funded by federal contracts/subcontracts requires UC Merced to notify job applicants that an E-Verify check will be conducted and the successful candidate must pass the E-Verify check.

Pay, Benefits & Work Schedule:
For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University of California visit: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/


To apply, visit https://careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psc/ucm/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&JobOpeningId=83288&PostingSeq=1&SiteId=25&languageCd=ENG&FOCUS=Applicant







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About University of California Merced

UC Merced is the first new American research university built in the 21st century, with a mission of research, teaching and service. The campus opened Sept. 5, 2005, in the San Joaquin Valley. The university is about an hour north of Fresno, two hours south of Sacramento, two hours southeast of San Francisco and the Silicon Valley, and 90 minutes west of Yosemite National Park. The University of California, Merced, is the newest of the University of California system’s 10 campuses. With over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students (https://cie.ucmerced.edu/analytics-hub/student-statistics), UC Merced is committed to interdisciplinary excellence in research and teaching as well as to diversity, equity and inclusion. Ranked as one of the best public universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, UC Merced provides outstanding educational opportunities to highly qualified students from the heart of California, the nation, and abroad. The campus has special connections to nearby Yosemite National Park; is on the cutting edge of sustainability in construction and design; and supports the economic development of Central California. The Merced 2020 Project doubled the phys...ical capacity of the campus, and enhanced academic distinction, student success, and research excellence (https://merced2020.ucmerced.edu/). The University of California, Merced is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy. As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements. This includes the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy.

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