Aquatics Technical Specialist

This position is a part of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA).

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Location - This role is in-person. Work primarily takes place at North Campus, Edmonton.

The University of Alberta’s Animal Care and Use Program, under the direction of the University Veterinarian, in the Vice President Research and Integrity (VPRI) office, is responsible for providing support to the animal-based research and teaching community associated with the University of Alberta and its affiliates through its veterinary services team, Research Integrity Support compliance team, and its animal facilities. The University of Alberta is committed to providing excellence in support to all UA faculty, staff and trainees with accountability, communication, cooperation, customer service and integrity.

The North Campus Animal Services (NCAS) is composed of three operationally consolidated animal facilities, namely, the Health Sciences Facility, the Biosciences Facility and services to Alternate Animal Housing sites, encompassing over 100,000 square feet (~9200 sqm) on the University’s North Campus. NCAS supports over 150 Principal Investigator groups.

NCAS supports 22 researchers in over 62 protocols involving aquatic species. The species currently housed in the facility include xenopus, zebrafish, trout, goldfish, carp, cichlids, minnows and Atlantic salmon). The main flow-through life support water production system encompasses four carbon filter tanks, multiple chlorine, pH and temperature probes, with multiple water reservoirs as well as multiple chillers, pumps and heat exchangers, integrated with central control monitoring. The facilities also include multiple separate stand-alone recirculating systems, with approximately 36 racks housing over 70,000 aquatic animals (primarily housing zebrafish). As well, there is a unique aquatic biocontainment system that is certified with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and requires daily oversight, maintenance and upkeep.

The Aquatics Technical Specialist will be responsible for maintaining the aquatic life support systems for aquatic animals in accordance with national and provincial requirements and guidelines. Under the direction of the Team Lead-Logistics and Facility Monitoring (TL-LFM), this position provides significant and varied technical activities to support the operation of aquatic life support systems. This position is critical to ensure consistency of animal care for animal welfare, high quality of research and reproducible research results.

#J-18808-Ljbffr