Please submit a cover letter, resume, and 2-3 references with e-mail address and phone. 
In your cover letter, please explain your lab and research experience and your interest in the position. If you are a new graduate, please also submit your academic transcripts.

For questions, please contact Robert Holder at roholder@umich.edu, Nathan Niemi at naniemi@umich.edu, or Eliel Anttila at eliel@umich.edu.

We, Drs. Robert Holder, Nathan Niemi, and Eliel Anttila, are seeking applicants for the position of Geochronology and Thermochronology Laboratory Manager in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The candidate will manage and operate laser-ablation U/Th-Pb and U/Th-He laboratories and accompanying mineral separation facilities.

Start date

This position has a preferred start date between June and August of 2026, but a later start date in the 2026 calendar year is possible.

The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.

EARTH is a diverse and vibrant intellectual community dedicated to excellence through research and teaching. The department is home to approximately 40 faculty and 25 regular administrative and lab staff, 160 undergraduate majors and 70 graduate students.  The mission of the department is to promote education and scientific discovery about our planet. We welcome all who are curious about the EARTH and we strive to create an environment that is accessible and supportive to everyone.  Find more about the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences here.

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, the University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off, including vacation time, sick time, holiday and season days
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses

In addition, LSA offers:

• Strong commitment to work/life balance
• Flexible work arrangements with respect to campus stakeholder needs
• Enhanced tuition support programs for LSA courses

Being part of something greater, of serving a larger mission of discovery and care - that's the heart of what drives people to work at Michigan. In some way, great or small, every person here helps to advance this world-class institution. It's adding a purpose to your profession. Work at Michigan and become a victor for the greater good.

• Laboratory analysis: independent operation and routine maintenance of the laboratory instruments for routine analysis, training and assisting users in established protocols, data processing.
  • ESI NWR193 laser-ablation system coupled with Agilent 7900 quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer used for U-Pb dating (e.g., zircon, monazite, apatite, titanite, rutile) as well as trace-element analysis and compositional imaging.
    
  • ESI NWR193 (or similar) laser-ablation system (to be installed, Fall `26) coupled with an Element2 sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, focusing on the U-Pb dating of accessory minerals and carbonates.
  • ASI Alphachron Helium mass spectrometer used for U/Th-He thermochronology (e.g., zircon, monazite, titanite, apatite) and He diffusion experiments.
• Preparatory space management
  • Department mineral-separation and rock-preparation facilities (rock saws, jaw crusher,  shatterbox, disc mill, sieve shaker, water table, Frantz magnetic separator, and "heavy liquids").
• Administrative responsibilities and scientific contributions
  • Purchasing laboratory materials, parts, and consumables for continued routine operation. Coordination with service engineers for instrument maintenance. Keeping users' training records. Maintaining laboratory safety standards in coordination with and as defined by the university EHS. Scheduling users. 
    • At the Intermediate level, candidate is additionally expected to coordinate with the PI's on managing of the annual laboratory budget, independently develop new measurement protocols (different minerals, elements, isotopes) to meet the science needs of the laboratory spaces, and contribute to the writing of scientific publications (for example, compiled data tables and written details of methods in accordance with the "Methodology", "Investigation", and "Data Curation" roles defined by the CRediT system of scientific authorship).

This position is posted at the level of Research Laboratory Specialist Intermediate, with an underfill possible at the level of Research Laboratory Specialist Associate.  

A degree in Earth Science is preferred, although other natural science or engineering degrees will be considered if the candidate has the requisite professional experience and meets the desired qualifications (below).

The required qualifications at the Intermediate level are:

• Master's Degree required.  
• A minimum of 4 years of experience (including relevant graduate research) with high-level, independent operation, calibration, and routine maintenance of mass spectrometers for isotopic analysis.

The required qualifications at the Associate level are:

• Bachelor's Degree required.   
• A minimum of 2 years of experience (including relevant graduate research) with high-level, independent operation, calibration, and routine maintenance of mass spectrometers for isotopic analysis.

Preference will be given to candidates with experience in:

• radio-isotope chronology and their accompanying laboratory methods
  • In particular: U-Pb and U/Th-He chronology (such as zircon, monazite, apatite, titanite, or rutile)
  • But also: Re-Os, K-Ar, Lu-Hf, Sm-Nd, U-series
    
• laser-ablation sampling/extraction lines
• standard mineral separation facilities 
• mechanical and electrical repair
• vacuum pumps and vacuum systems
• Ph.D. preferred

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

The salary range at the Associate level is $42,000 to $52,500, and requires a Bachelor's Degree and a minimum of 2 years of experience.

The salary range at the Intermediate level is $52,000 to $65,000, and requires a Master's Degree and a minimum of 4 years of experience.

A higher salary may be possible for a well-qualified candidate.

As one of the world's great liberal arts colleges, LSA pushes the boundaries of what is understood about the human experience and the natural world, and we foster the next generation of rigorous and empathetic thinkers, creators, and contributors to the state of Michigan, the nation, and the world.

To learn more about LSA's Mission, Vision and Values, please visit lsa.umich.edu/strategicvision.

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.