Job No. 159612
- Job Title:
- Research Specialist
- Employer:
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University of North Carolina-Wilmington
- Location:
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Wilmington , NC
- Posting Date:
- 17-Sep-2026
- Description:
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Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit
The University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Center for Marine Science (CMS) is recognized both nationally and internationally for conducting research that contributes to the understanding of environmental processes and problems. CMS strives to engage communities to address societal issues and promote use-inspired innovations.
Research at CMS includes a variety of fields such as aquaculture; coastal water resources, risks and resilience; coastal and ocean observing and modeling; ecosystem health; genomics and bioinformatics; human health and preclinical research; marine and coastal biology; marine geology and paleoclimate; marine technology; natural products chemistry; and ocean and coastal policy. Currently, there are more than 150 scientists, staff, and students housed at or working with the unit.
The teaching and research facility located on the Intracoastal Waterway in southeastern North Carolina features state of the art core facilities in spectrometry and spectroscopy, light stable isotopes, biotechnology, aquaculture, DNA and water quality analysis as well as running seawater systems, a coastal workboat fleet and a wide range of oceanographic equipment that are available to all CMS researchers.
CMS supports educational programs related to coastal and marine science, including the Applied Coastal and Ocean Science Ph.D. program and MS Marine Science degree as well as courses and students from various marine-science related academic departments across the breadth of
UNCW. It also supports several outreach entities, including NC Sea Grant, the NC National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Marine Quest, among others.
College Center for Marine Science - 306 College
College/School Information
University Information
The University of North Carolina Wilmington, the state’s coastal university, is dedicated to the integration of teaching, mentoring, research and service. Widely acknowledged for its world-class faculty and staff and continuously recognized at a national level for scholarly excellence and affordability, UNCW offers a powerful academic experience that stimulates creative inquiry and critical thinking.
A public institution with nearly 18,000 students, UNCW offers a full range of baccalaureate- and graduate-level programs, as well as doctoral degrees in educational leadership, marine biology, nursing practice and psychology; and many distance learning options, including clinical research, an accelerated RN-to-BSN program, an Executive M.B.A. program structured for working professionals, and the nation’s only bachelor’s degree program focused on coastal engineering.
The university’s efforts to advance research and scholarly activities have earned UNCW the elevated designation of “Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity” institution (R2 University) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
UNCW has been part of the University of North Carolina System since 1969.
Location of Workplace CMS Myrtle Grove
Brief Summary of Work for this Position
The Research Specialist will oversee the day-to-day operation of the Forensic Light Isotope and Trace Environmental Spectrometry (FLITES) core facility in concert with another staff member. The position is expected to train and supervise faculty and students on the correct operation of instrumentation in the FLITES facility. In addition, the successful candidate is expected to maintain the instrumentation and affiliated supplies as well as provide data analysis and data management support, basic QA/QC protocols, and oversee lab safety protocols. This is a permanent, state-funded position.
The FLITES facility houses a variety of mass spectrometry including:
Thermo Orbitrap Exploris 240 mass spectrometer interfaced with a ThermoVanquish Neo
UHPLC
Thermo Vanquish UHPLC with fraction collector
Thermo 1310 gas chromatograph with an ISQ single quadropole mass spectrometer and flame ionization detector (FID)
Agilent 8890 gas chromatography with FID and interfaced with a Gerstel preparative fraction collector
Shimadzu LC-40 XR LC system coupled to Sciex Triple Quad 5500+
Bruker GC 465 gas chromatograph coupled to Bruker Triple Quad
Bruker GC 456 gas chromatograph with ECD detector
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in a discipline related to the area of assignment + 1 year of directly related experience; or equivalent combination of training and/or related experience. All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.
Preferred education, professional skills and experience
A graduate degree in a discipline related to the area of assignment.
Experience with trace level analysis of organic compounds using GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS instrumentation.
Experience training users of mass spectrometric instrumentation and data analysis/interpretation.
- Contact information:
- University of North Carolina-Wilmington
- Wilmington, NC 28403
- United States
- Employer's Website:
-
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