Primary Duties:
- Manage daily operations of mesophotic and deepwater gorgonian systems including caring for life support operations, organismal husbandry, managing appropriate water quality, lighting and feeding regimes
- Liaise between Mote Gene Bank and MDBC initiative for exchanging knowledge as well as ensuring appropriate collaboration among institutions
- Devise and execute octocoral coral diet plan and lighting regime for optimal growth and spawning potential
- Assist the Coral Reproduction Senior Biologist with the cryopreservation of octocoral sperm during spawning periods
- Collect appropriate data, ensure accurate and timely data entry, conduct routine analysis, assist with report writing and provide presentations for the MDBC collaborative project
Secondary Duties:
- Conduct general coral husbandry tasks on any corals within the Gene Bank include siphoning and cleaning raceways, employing algal mitigation strategies, maintaining grazing organisms, providing appropriate lighting schemes, conduct/oversee onsite water chemistry analyses, feeding corals, building settlement racks, and water changes
- Assist with inventory management as needed
- Ensure that corals are appropriately propagated asexually for redundancy of the genetic diversity within the infrastructure
- Assist with coral treatments as necessary, including dips, antibiotics, and/or fragmentation
- Conduct microfragmentation for propagation when necessary
- Conduct coral separation and re-mounting to new substrates
- Ensure a safe, clean, organized indoor wetlab space
- Assist with taking coral samples for genetic and research purposes
- Assist with macro/micrograph and fluorescence imaging
- Assist with daily operations of ex situ spawning systems
- Assist with restoration and/or research objectives involving the sexual propagation or asexual propagation of corals and corals within Mote’s International Coral Gene Bank
Additional duties will include assisting with various tasks related to the daily operation of a full-service marine laboratory, assisting with field and lab support as needed, tours, and assisting with outreach and education activities as needed.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Extensive knowledge of the corals found within the Florida Reef Tract
- Extensive knowledge of coral husbandry and rearing within closed aquaria systems
- Lift heavy objects or equipment up to 50 lbs
- Working knowledge of computer software (Windows, Microsoft Office)
- Normal hours are 8:00-5:00 five days a week, which will include weekend hours, additional hours may be required especially during spawning season and sometimes during ongoing experiments
Minimum Qualifications or Requirements:
- BSc degree in the marine or biological sciences from an accredited college or university
- Experience working with corals and aquaria systems
- Valid license to drive in the State of Florida
Location
Mote Aquaculture Park – Sarasota, FL
