"Research Technician (Temporary, Part-Time, Hourly)"

Salary and Benefits

PLEASE NOTE: The starting salary placement depends on qualifications and experience and is anticipated to be in the range of $29.10 per hour (Step 1) to $34.78 per hour (Step 10).

Cal State East Bay offers a broad range of benefits that includes medical, dental, vision, retirement (CalPERS), 401k, 457, 403(b), dependent and health care reimbursement accounts, life insurance, vacation and sick, 14 paid holidays, one personal holiday and tuition fee waiver.

For more information on the benefits program, please visit our benefits website. The CSU Total Compensation Calculator demonstrates the significance of our benefits package.

Classification

Research Technician II

About Cal State East Bay

Cal State East Bay's beautiful main campus is located in the Hayward hills with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay shoreline. Situated above the city of Hayward, the campus offers an ideal setting for teaching and learning and yet easy access to the many cities along the bay. The University has a satellite campus in Concord, a professional development center in Oakland and a significant presence online. Founded in 1957, Cal State East Bay is one of 23 universities of the California State University system (CSU). Cal State East Bay is recognized as a regionally engaged and globally oriented university with a strong commitment to academic innovation, student success, engaged and service learning, diversity, and sustainability.

About the Position

The Research Technician will perform experimental procedures in a research laboratory in close coordination with the Principal Investigator. This position is funded by an NIH grant and suitable for candidates with interest or experience in Drosophila behavioral genetics, with a focus on sleep, feeding, and wakefulness. On-the-job training for individuals with a basic scientific background and laboratory skills will be provided. The candidate will conduct research in a collaborative environment with an appreciation for lab safety and an environment that values equity, inclusion and diversity.

Please Note: Review of applications will begin on March 26, 2026.

This position is grant-funded, part-time, hourly up to 30 hours week and temporary through December 31, 2026, with the possibility of reappointment.

Responsibilities

• Assists with research studies, design of experiments, literature review and conducting assays, including data collection, solutions preparation, and equipment set-up and maintenance. Assists Principal Investigator with identifying the right consumables and equipment for ordering.
• Complies with established safety procedures and maintains required documentation on laboratory and specimen conditions.
• Conducts behavioral assays for experiments in close coordination with the supervisor. These include sleep assays using Drosophila Activity monitoring and video recording systems, feeding studies using published approaches and ability to modify protocols as needed for the research study. Animal behavior research (including set up of behavioral set-ups (light, camera set ups), and knowledge of acrylic molding for designing 3D printed parts).
• Performs data entry, and maintains data files on research, newly developed protocols and assists with manuscript preparation.
• Maintains Drosophila lines (live fly cultures), prepares fly food of varying compositions and performs genetic crosses. Prepare reagents, chemically defined Drosophila media and rear multiple transgenic fly lines. Drosophila genetics (Ability to sort flies based on genotypes and breed flies for experiments). Fly brain dissections and staining. Data analysis using excel, Graphpad Prism and R.

Minimum Qualifications

Knowledge and Abilities:

Thorough knowledge of research techniques, including the planning of studies and investigations, determining variables, developing bibliographical and other sources of data, and preparation of research reports; general knowledge of statistical principles and procedures, including methods of collecting statistical data, simple correlation methods, time series analyses, analysis of frequency series, sampling techniques, and construction of index numbers; general knowledge of sources of information on social, economic, and population trends in California. Ability to prepare questionnaires and other survey instruments; ability to gather, compile, and analyze research data, and to present data in tabular, graphic, and pictorial form, ability to prepare and work clear and comprehensive reports; capacity for independent and creative thinking and writing on research and statistical problems; ability to plan, organize and supervise the work of a small team.

Experience:

• Two years of progressively responsible experience in technical research or statistical work in the collection, compilation, and analysis of data.
• Graduate study in the social sciences, economics, mathematics, statistics, public or business administration or engineering may be substituted for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.

Education:

Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university. Additional experience which has demonstrated that the applicant has acquired and successfully applied the knowledge and abilities delineated above may be substituted for the required education of a year-for-year basis.

Preferred Skills and Knowledge

• Excellent verbal, written communication, and analytical skills.
• Candidates who have completed MS with thesis will be given preference.

Experience and interest in at least three (3) of the following areas is required for the position:

• Ability to collaborate with Principal Investigator and other undergraduate students in the lab to progress towards the grants' goals.
• Immunohistochemistry (staining brain tissue samples for microscopy)
• Use of stereo microscopes, fluorescence and confocal microscope)
• Animal behavior research (including set up of behavioral set-ups, knowledge of acrylic molding for designing 3D printed parts)
• Drosophila genetics (Ability to sort flies based on genotypes and breed flies for experiments)
• Fly brain dissections (Ability to dissect and prepare fly brain samples for imaging)
• Ability to prepare reagents, chemically defined Drosophila media (biweekly) and rear multiple transgenic fly lines
• Data analysis using excel, Graphpad Prism and R
• Interest and experience working with insect neuroanatomy quantitative animal and human behavior.