Lab Manager/Research Support Specialist II

Lab Manager

The Opportunity

We are recruiting now for an anticipated mid-February 2027 start date.

Applications submitted by October 19, 2026 will receive priority consideration.

The Lab Manager will provide technical and operational support for the Derryberry Laboratory's research program in animal behavior and bioacoustics. Working closely with the Principal Investigator, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students, the Lab Manager will help plan and implement field- and laboratory-based behavioral research, including sound recording and analysis. This position will also maintain research equipment and infrastructure, coordinate permits and reporting requirements, support day-to-day laboratory operations, and facilitate undergraduate participation in research projects within the Macaulay Library and Derryberry Laboratory.

The Lab Manager will help maintain a safe, compliant research environment by following all disease control, laboratory safety, chemical handling, and waste disposal protocols. They will complete required CALS Environment, Health and Safety training and ensure that appropriate safety and compliance practices are consistently implemented throughout laboratory operations.

About the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Lab of Ornithology

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is a pioneer of purpose-driven science and Cornell University's second-largest college. We work across disciplines to tackle the challenges of our time through world-renowned research, education, and outreach. The questions we probe and the answers we seek focus on three overlapping concerns: achieving next-generation scientific breakthroughs requires an understanding of the world's complex, interlocking systems; access to nutritious food and a healthy environment is a fundamental human right; ensuring a prosperous global future depends on the ability to support local people and communities everywhere. By working in and across multiple scientific areas, CALS can address challenges and opportunities of the greatest relevance, here in New York, across the nation, and around the world.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the world's leading resource for conservation, research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. The Lab is a vibrant unit within Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), where six world-class, mission-driven centers are directed by full-time faculty and other renowned professionals. Lab staff teach undergraduate courses, advise graduate students, collect and disseminate world-famous digital resources on biodiversity, and engage with partner organizations and citizens around the world to conduct scientific research and conservation actions. Our management and staff are committed to the highest standards of ethics and excellence in all areas of our work, and our board leadership includes successful entrepreneurs and managers from the business and nonprofit sectors, conservation-minded citizens from the United States and beyond, and faculty from Cornell and other universities.

Hours & Location

This is a full-time, 100% FTE, on-site position based at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York. The work is inherently hands-on and includes both laboratory and field-based research, including travel to study sites as needed.

Typical hours are Monday through Friday, approximately 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. However, birds and wildlife keep their own schedules! Field research may occasionally require early mornings, later days, or adjustments to the typical schedule based on research activities, field conditions, travel, and when study animals are active.

This is a role for someone who enjoys having a home base at the Lab while embracing the flexibility that comes with real-world field research. Fieldwork may involve variable weather, uneven terrain, insects, wildlife, and the transportation of research equipment and supplies.

Success Factors

You will thrive in this role if you are someone who:

• Brings a hands-on research mindset. You enjoy being close to the science and are comfortable moving between fieldwork, laboratory research, data collection, behavioral observations, sound recording, and research equipment.
• Keeps the research organized and moving. You can coordinate multiple projects and priorities while staying on top of equipment, permits, documentation, research protocols, and the operational details that make excellent science possible.
• Enjoys helping others succeed. You communicate well with faculty, postdocs, graduate students, undergraduates, and collaborators, and you enjoy training and mentoring students as they develop their research skills.
• Is adaptable, curious, and ready to go where the research takes you. You are comfortable troubleshooting, learning new methods and technologies, working independently when needed, and adjusting to the realities of field-based animal research.

What We Need

• A cover letter and resume are required for consideration. Please describe your interest in the position and how your experience and professional goals align with the role.
• Bachelor's degree and 3 to 5 years of relevant experience or equivalent combination.
• Prior experience in a laboratory setting.
• Prior knowledge of safety protocols in a lab setting and proper waste handling.
• Practical skills in operating advanced field and laboratory research equipment (e.g., Larson Davis Sound Level Meter, autonomous acoustic recording units, GPS units, and other specialized instrumentation).
• Ability to organize and coordinate multiple research activities and priorities.
• Ability to communicate effectively with faculty, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, undergraduate researchers, and external collaborators.
• Ability to train and mentor undergraduate researchers in laboratory and field research techniques.
• Skill in behavioral research methods, sound recording technologies, and maintenance of specialized research equipment.
• Ability to maintain accurate research records and manage research compliance documentation.
• Must possess and maintain a valid, unrestricted NYS driver's license and be cleared to drive for university business.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

The following qualifications are preferred but not required:

• Experience with behavioral ecology, animal behavior, bioacoustics, field biology, or related research.
• Experience conducting behavioral fieldwork, sound recording, acoustic analyses, and managing research equipment is preferred.
• A Master's degree and 1 to 2 years of relevant experience; field experience working with birds.

Rewards and Benefits

• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands.
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays.
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Cornell is an equal opportunity employer. For more information, visit hr.cornell.edu/eeo.