Projectassistant in Evolutionary Biology - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Work duties

I am seeking a project assistant who will support the Felmy Lab with daily maintenance and fish husbandry tasks in a new research laboratory with Trinidadian guppies. Guppies are small tropical freshwater fish that give birth to live young.
The lab is located in a temperature-controlled room (26°C air temperature) in the LU Ecology Building. It consists of four independent recirculation systems containing 380 small fish tanks and housing +1000 guppies. My group and I will use the guppies to study environmental effects on short-term evolution, focusing primarily on life-history, morphometric, and resource-accrual traits. The work duties include the following:

Feeding fish with controlled amounts of food and preparing fish diets
Performing daily health checks of fish
Performing daily checks for newborn fry and, if present, separating fry from mothers to prevent cannibalism
Monitoring and adjusting water parameters in recirculation systems
Performing regular water changes in recirculation systems
Exchanging and cleaning fish tanks and tank components at regular intervals (there will be a laboratory dishwasher)
Other duties associated with fish care and normal laboratory function
Keeping detailed records of the above tasks
Supporting MSc, PhD, and postdoctoral projects in the group by helping with experimental tasks and data collection
Contributing to the design and set-up of new experiments
Actively contributing to a positive, supportive, and creative working atmosphere in the group 

Qualifications

Bachelor’s (BSc) degree in biology, veterinary medicine, animal science or similar field
Basic knowledge of animal care, demonstrated by experience with e.g. household pets or farm animals
A responsible and caring attitude towards laboratory fish
Ability to follow oral and written instructions and to work in a very structured way
Good proficiency in written and communicated English
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to solve problems autonomously but also to determine when to run them by the lab leader 

Other merits

Practical experience in a laboratory animal setting, ideally with fish or other aquatic animals Experience with collecting large amounts of biological data
Sufficient dexterity and manual skills to safely (learn to) perform basic fish husbandry and fish handling tasks
Ability to lift and carry objects weighing up to 10 kg, and to climb a laboratory ladder (height 1 m) multiple times a day
Ability to work independently as well as with the research team 

We will place great emphasis on personal suitability. Consideration will also be given to drive, independence, and a keen interest and curiosity in evolutionary questions.

Terms of employment

Permanent position with preferred start date in summer or early autumn 2024.
A probationary period of 6 months might be applicable.
The scope of the employment is 50%.
The contact person is Anja Felmy: anja.felmy@biol.lu.se.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications should include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the employment corresponds to your qualifications. The application should also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, contact information for two references, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.).