The Opportunity

The Research Support Specialist I plays a key role within the Cornell Soil Health Lab in the Soil & Crop Sciences Section, supporting the management and analysis of one of the world's largest soil data collections. In this position, you will oversee the collection, organization, and analysis of high-volume laboratory data, ensuring accuracy through rigorous quality control while transforming results into meaningful Soil Health Reports for clients across Cornell, the U.S., and globally. You will maintain cloud-based databases, contribute to timely reporting, and support billing processes through coordinated invoicing systems. In addition to data management, you will operate and troubleshoot laboratory instruments, help ensure analytical methods and projects stay on track, and collaborate with lab leadership to maintain and improve equipment and workflows. This role also emphasizes strict adherence to laboratory safety, compliance, and best practices, with full training provided on lab protocols and systems.

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible, one-year term appointment. Renewal is contingent upon available work, continued funding, and individual performance.

About the Department

The impact of the Cornell Soil Health Lab stretches across the world through providing laboratory information on essential soil functions.

The Lab offers a suite of analyses that assess recognized soil health parameters and compiles these data into the Cornell Soil Health Test Report. The Report generates a score for each measured parameter. Researchers in the agricultural sciences have come to value this quantitative soil information as essential to understanding the effects of soil management activities on the measured essential soil processes. The Report compiles this information to generate short- and long-term field management suggestions.

The Cornell Soil Health Lab works with agricultural commodity producers and a wide range of government, not-for-profit entities, backyard gardeners and stakeholders in a collaborative and fee-for-service capacity.

What We Need

• Bachelor's degree in an agriculture, soil science, or closely related discipline and 2 to 4 years of relevant experience or equivalent combination.

• 2-4+ years of hands-on experience in a lab or data-intensive scientific environment

• Prior experience in a laboratory setting and with lab data collection, interpretation, organization, and reporting. Proficiency with sample Quality Control practices. Familiarity with requirements and protocols for recognized Lab Certification (NAPT) programs

• Advanced Excel skills (building datasets, managing large files, problem-solving)

• Particular experience is required with soil biological assays and soil physical lab measurements.

• Strong soil science knowledge (must understand soil parameters and QC expectations)

• Prior knowledge of safety protocols in a lab setting and proper waste handling

• Ability to communicate verbally and written with faculty, staff and students.

• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members

You will be competitive for this role if you have:

• Advanced data and Excel expertise. Can build, manipulate, and manage very large datasets in Excel

• Deep soil science knowledge. Understands soil parameters and what "normal" looks like and you are confident performing and validating quality control checks

• Experience working with "gigantic" datasets end-to-end and the ability to convert raw data into usable reports and insights

• Independence and self-direction. Thrives in a low-structure, high-autonomy environment and takes initiative and "owns the work" without hand-holding

• Strong attention to detail and QC discipline. Highly detail-oriented with strong data validation habits, maintains accuracy under high volume and deadlines, and understands the importance of precision in scientific reporting

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it's ok if you don't.

• 3 to 5 years of experience with technical soil laboratory apparatus

• Demonstrated experience in proficient and accurate soil lab analytical procedures

• Interest and knowledge of current soil biological and soil physical analyses

• Direct experience and high-level capacity with data analysis and managing computer cloud data systems.

• Strong team player

• Master's degree in soil science

• Experience with technical support of lab staff