Fieldwork/ Husbandry Technician, Marine Eco-Evo-Devo Unit

The Marine Eco-Evo-Devo (MEED) Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) seeks to understand the evolution of life history strategies (in particular metamorphosis), in a perspective integrating ecological, evolutionary and developmental components. We use coral reef fishes, in particular anemonefish as models to address three main questions: how do fish larvae integrate environmental and physiological information to trigger coordinated programs leading to metamorphosis? How does this explain the diversity of patterns of pigmentation produced during metamorphosis? And how do anthropogenic stressors affect these processes?
We are looking for a highly motivated technician to work on developing scientific diving in the unit and providing support with fish husbandry, both of which will greatly benefit our ecological approaches. The successful candidate will have to organize and manage fieldwork with a particular emphasis on dealing with organizational, administrative and safety procedures. He/she will join fieldwork, mainly consisting of monitoring anemonefish colonies, collecting fin clips for genetic studies, and installing equipment such as cameras and probes. Besides fieldwork, he/she will participate in fish husbandry, working closely with our husbandry manager. Our unit is very international, so communication within the unit is mostly done in English; however, as the position requires a lot of communication with Japanese services, fluent Japanese is a requirement. For a motivated technician, this position will offer great opportunities to develop new skills and a great network by working with scientists in diverse fields from around the world.