These biology jobs and internships are paid opportunities that also typically compensate participants with some combination of housing, food, and travel stipends. They are mostly field-based, do not involve an individual research project, and are a great way to gain experience in field work and data collection. They are listed in chronological order by posting date.
Winter/Spring 2026
11/13 – Research Technician, Global Ecology – CA
Research technician
Carnegie Institution for Science Department of Global Ecology
Compensation: $18.20-22.00/hr, depending on qualifications and experience
Location: Stanford, CA
Seeking a part-time technician to aid in ecological research projects relating to plant competition, climate change, and microclimates. Hours are flexible.
Specific duties: assist in the construction, set-up, and maintenance of the experiments, with responsibilities including building project infrastructure; collecting soil resource, plant trait, and plant diversity data; collecting and weighing seeds; digitizing and quality-checking data; and other related tasks as needed. All skills can be taught on the job.
Required qualifications:
- Must have enthusiasm for learning new skills, be able to work well independently, be adaptable, reliable, detail-oriented, well-organized, and have good communication skills.
- Must be comfortable working in laboratories, workshops, and outdoors, including in adverse weather conditions typical of northern California.
- Must be comfortable lifting 25 pounds and occasionally engaging in strenuous physical activity in the field.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with plant identification, especially in California serpentine grassland ecosystems
- Experience with data management, including maintaining a high-quality research notebook
- Experience with workshop and technical skills, including building simple structures out of wood, plastic, or other materials, or with soldering and cutting and stripping cables
- Knowledge of basic field first aid
- Degree or enrollment in courses in biology, environmental sciences, engineering, earth systems, or a related field
To apply, please submit a resume or CV and a one-page cover letter at https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/carnegiescience/CANDIDATEPORTAL/jobs/107
Questions can be directed to Andrea Nebhut at anebhut@carnegiescience.edu. Applications are due 11/30/25.
9/12 – Avian Agro-ecology Field Technician – CA
We are seeking 1-2 seasonal field technicians from mid-March through June 2026, with possible extension of work until July, to assist PhD student Karen Gallardo Cruz within the Karp Lab at UC Davis on a study examining the effects of tractor noise on barn owls in vineyards. Specifically, our project will explore how farm noise affects the behavior of barn owls and their rodent prey in vineyards. We will experimentally play tractor noise and track its effects on rodent boldness/abundance as well as on owl hunting in vineyards. We will also test an ‘audio lure’ that farmers may use to concentrate owl hunting in problem areas. This project is a collaboration between UC Davis (Karen Gallardo Cruz, Prof. Daniel Karp, Prof. Gail Patricelli), Cal Poly Humboldt (Prof. Matthew Johnson), and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Prof. Clinton Francis). For a full job add, click here.
Duration: mid-March 2026 through mid-June 2026, with a possible 2-week extension of work until July 2026.
Wage: Approximately $20-$23 per hour depending on prior experience. This is a full-time (40 hours per week), limited-term appointment through the University of California, Davis. Housing will be provided, and the successful applicant will be expected to relocate to the study region for the duration of the appointment.
To apply: Email to Karen Gallardo Cruz (kgallardo@ucdavis.edu) a single document (PDF preferred) with the subject line “Avian agroecology technician” including:
- (1) a cover letter describing previous research experience (ideally with birds), interest in this position, description of how you meet the qualifications, and, briefly, why this position fits into your career goals;
- (2) a resume or CV;
- (3) contact information for two references
Closing date: First review date will be October 15th. Applications afterward will be considered thereafter on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network)
The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a continental-scale observation facility funded by the National Science Foundation and operated by Battelle. The NEON program is designed to collect long-term, open access ecological data to better understand how U.S. ecosystems are changing, from freshwater systems such as streams, rivers, and lakes to terrestrial systems spanning tropical forests to deserts to tundra. We depend on our people to collect observational data and samples, to monitor automated instrumented systems that collect terrestrial and aquatic data, and to operate our airborne observation platform that captures remote sensing data of regional landscapes and vegetation.
Within NEON, we have several different job opportunities that range from temporary to full-time positions.
You can reach out to Bryce Duchesne, Duchesne@Battelle.org, with any questions!