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.
Fall 2025
9/18 – Invasive Hornet Survey Specialist – SC (start date not listed)
Join our team to protect South Carolina from invasive pests! We are looking for an Invasive Hornet Survey Specialist to support early detection and rapid response efforts for the Yellow-legged Hornet (YLH). You’ll conduct independent and team-based surveys, respond to public reports, and enforce plant pest and honeybee regulations. The role involves a mix of fieldwork, outreach, and regulatory enforcement in various environments including apiaries, farms, forests, and residential areas.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES • Conduct surveys and field inspections for invasive species • Trap and monitor for Yellow-legged hornet (YLH) presence • Assist in eradication and containment efforts • Respond to public reports and educate stakeholders • Maintain and responsibly operate state equipment • Work throughout assigned region and other required areas • Carry out additional duties as needed
- Location: Beaufort, SC Area
- Application Deadline: 9/29/2025 (possibility of extension)
- Minimum Requirement: HS diploma & experience or BS
- Preferred: BS or MS
- Hours: 37.5–40 per week
- Salary: $47,588-54,000 per year (temporary with possibility of extension)
- Job ID #: 109916
- Job Title: Investigator IV Beaufort, SC
- Apply: clemson.edu/careers
Questions: honeybeeprotection@clemson.edu
9/8 – Ecology Research Technician – MD
Research Technician
Annual salary: $46,148
Anticipated state date: Nov 2025
Appointment term: 6 months
Job Description: The Global Change Ecology and Biogeochemistry Labs at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) are seeking two technicians to support research on coastal ecosystem responses to global change. These are 6-month, full-time positions that will begin in Nov 2025. We seek motivated people interested in working in a multidisciplinary research team. The primary task is to recover, sort, and process roots and rhizomes from soil samples collected in our long-term wetland experiments. Secondary tasks include: collecting and analyzing environmental samples of water, soil, gas, and plants; lab equipment operation; and curating data. The technicians will collaborate on multiple long-term experiments at SERC’s Global Change Research Wetland and the COMPASS project. Applicants must be independent, detail-oriented, organized, and able to contribute to several related but distinct projects at once. In addition, applicants must at times be able to lift heavy equipment (up to50 pounds), work outside in challenging environmental conditions, and stand for many hours to process samples. Ideal qualifications include experience working in field and laboratory settings.
How to Apply: Send a 1-page cover letter describing your relative experience and qualifications, a current resume, and contact information for three references to Alice Stearns (stearnsa@si.edu) by 24 Sep 2025.
About SERC: SERC is a research center of the Smithsonian Institution, located in Edgewater, MD, about 10 miles south of Annapolis, 40 miles west of Washington DC, and 40 miles south of Baltimore. The 2,654-acre campus includes labs, offices, an education center, docks, and boats. Technicians willbe hired as Trust employees (not federal employees), entitling them to health, vision, dental, and other benefits. Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. Starting salaries can consider previous experience.
2/22 – 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!
Winter/Spring 2026
9/18 – Wild Turkey Field Technicians – IL
Agency: Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
Location: Jo Daviess County, Illinois, USA
Job Category: Temporary/Seasonal Positions
Salary: $18.00/hour, maximum 37.5 hours/week
Start Date: 1/15/2026
Last Date to Apply: 10/03/25
Website: https://peaselab.com
Description: The PEASE Lab at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) is hiring four field technicians to assist with the Wild Turkey Nesting Phenology and Gobbling Chronology projects in Illinois from January through July of 2026:
- Turkey Tagging Technician (3)
- Turkey Acoustic Monitoring Technician (1)
Position Summaries:
Turkey Tagging Technician : The technicians will be expected to trap and tag turkey in the late winter and monitor and collect data on tagged turkey through the end of the field season. Work hours will vary (early morning trapping in winter, some potentially long days in spring and summer). This position does not require previous trapping experience, however familiarity with game bird trapping is a plus. Housing is provided, and the technician will be expected to perform most responsibilities independently with occasional assistance from the master’s students. Travel is required for this position; however, work vehicles will be provided.
Responsibilities include:
- Trapping, handling, and fitting turkeys with GPS backpacks and leg bands
- Tracking tagged turkeys via telemetry throughout the nesting and brooding seasons
- Habitat/Forestry Surveys
- Record and enter data
- Maintaining/organizing field house and equipment for the duration of the position.
- Assisting master’s students in both Jo Daviess County (Northern Illinois) and Carbondale (Southern Illinois) as needed.
Qualifications:
- Ability to hike long distances in potentially harsh conditions (snow, cold, icy, hilly terrain, etc.)
- Ability to carry and move equipment
- Ability to navigate using GPS coordinates
- Ability to work both independently and as a team.
- Strong communication skills
- Valid driver’s license
Turkey Acoustic Monitoring Technician: This position will include all the responsibilities of the Turkey Tagging Technician role, in addition to assisting with the Gobbling Chronology project. Specific duties include deployment, maintenance, and retrieval of autonomous recording units across Illinois, as well as processing the resulting acoustic data. The position does not require previous experience with deployment/retrieval of ARU’s. Housing is not provided for the entire duration of the position, but we will work with you to find housing solutions. The technician will be expected to perform most responsibilities independently and with assistance from the master’s students. Travel is required for this position; however, vehicles will be provided.
Responsibilities Include:
- Assisting with ARU deployment, maintenance, and retrieval
- Cleaning and sanitizing equipment upon arrival
- Uploading data to external hard drives/cloud storage provided
- Data processing including manual review of sound recordings
- Turkey Tagging Technician responsibilities when needed
Qualifications:
- Ability to hike long distances in potentially harsh conditions (snow, cold, icy, hilly terrain, etc.)
- Ability to navigate using GPS coordinates
- Ability to carry and move equipment (i.e. ARU’s, net blasters)
- Ability to work both independently and as a team.
- Strong communication skills
- Valid driver’s license
To apply, please email a brief cover letter, CV, and three references to Lucy Cheeley at lucille.cheeley@siu.edu with the subject line “Wild Turkey Technician Application.” Applicants may apply for one or both positions. Please specify your position preference in your cover letter and/or email body. Review of applications will begin immediately until the position is filled.
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 (also attached).
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.