"Research Assistant (Instrumentation)"

Job Description

RESEARCH ASSISTANT (INSTRUMENTATION)

At Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), we acquire high-quality marine environmental data that supports environmental monitoring. The reliability of our work depends on the quality of our instrumentation and the integrity of our data.

As a Research Assistant in Instrumentation, you play a critical role in this process — from ensuring sensors are properly maintained, calibrated and deployed at sea, to validating and processing the data that data users depend on.

Your work directly impacts the credibility and usefulness of our long-term marine environmental datasets.
This role is ideal for someone who enjoys both hands-on technical work and analytical problem-solving, and who finds satisfaction in making complex systems work reliably in challenging real-world environments.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Acquisition of environmental parameters such as salinity, temperature, turbidity and other oceanographic variables through deployment of multi-sensor systems.
• Participate in at least monthly field trips onboard research vessels (more frequently when required).
• Conduct pre-field preparations, logistics coordination, and post-field checks.
• Troubleshoot instruments in real-time under field conditions, including at sea.
• Set up, calibrate, maintain and conduct instruments verification.
• Liaise with R&D engineers and vendors for routine servicing, fault diagnosis, and calibration support.
• Maintain detailed documentation of maintenance, calibration records, servicing logs, and post processing procedures.
• Perform post-processing of collected datasets.
• Conduct QA/QC to ensure data accuracy, consistency, and integrity.
• Statistical analysis, interpretation and report writing.
• Develop, refine, and manage Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), risk assessments.
• Support procurement of consumables and equipment required for field and lab operations.

Qualifications

You will thrive in this role if you:

• Hold a degree in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, STEM or a related field.
• Are comfortable working at sea and troubleshooting equipment in non-ideal conditions.
• Enjoy understanding how systems work and studying technical manuals.
• Have mechanical/electrical aptitude and workshop skills suitable for equipment maintenance and fault finding.
• Are proficient in data processing and analysis (Python preferred).
• Are meticulous and detail-oriented.
• Are resourceful, independent, and able to learn quickly.
• Work well in a small, collaborative team environment.
• Are flexible with working hours when fieldwork requires it.

Experience with environmental data loggers and oceanographic sensors is advantageous but not required — we value strong fundamentals and a willingness to learn.

SALARY

Salary will commensurate with qualifications and experience. The appointment will be for a period of one year and extendable depending upon the candidate's performance.

OTHER BENEFITS

What You Can Expect From Us:

• Your work directly supports long-term marine environment monitoring
• You will gain exposure to real-world oceanographic instrumentation
• You will see the full lifecycle of data: collection, processing, storage and analysis
• Get to work with multi-year, multi-parameter marine environmental datasets
• Not a desk-bound position - a mix of indoor analytical work and outdoor field deployment.
• Opportunities for continuous professional development and upskilling (subject to time and funding).
• Relaxed and supportive team environment.
• Generous leave provisions.

Apply now