About
At Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), we acquire high-quality marine environmental data that supports environmental monitoring. The reliability of our work depends on the quality of our instrumentation and the integrity of our data.
As a Research Assistant in Instrumentation, you play a critical role in this process — from ensuring sensors are properly maintained, calibrated and deployed at sea, to validating and processing the data that data users depend on.
Your work directly impacts the credibility and usefulness of our long-term marine environmental datasets.
This role is ideal for someone who enjoys both hands-on technical work and analytical problem-solving, and who finds satisfaction in making complex systems work reliably in challenging real-world environments.
Duties and Responsiilities
• Acquisition of oceanographic parameters such as salinity, temperature, turbidity through deployment of multi-sensor systems.
• Participate in regular field trips onboard research vessels (more frequently when required).
• Conduct pre-field preparations, logistics coordination, and post-field checks.
• Troubleshoot instruments in real-time under field conditions, including at sea.
• Set up, calibrate, maintain and conduct instruments verification.
• Liaise with R&D engineers and vendors for routine servicing, fault diagnosis, and calibration support.
• Maintain detailed documentation of maintenance, calibration records, servicing logs, and post processing procedures.
• Perform post-processing of collected datasets.
• Conduct QA/QC to ensure data accuracy, consistency, and integrity.
• Statistical analysis, interpretation and report writing.
• Develop, refine, and manage Standard Operating Procedures, risk assessments.
• Support procurement of consumables and equipment required for field and lab operations
Qualifications and Requirements
You will thrive in this role if you:
• Hold a degree in Oceanography, Marine Science, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Engineering, STEM or a related field.
• Are proficient in data processing and analysis using Python (or equivalent software)
• Are comfortable working at sea and troubleshooting equipment under non-ideal conditions.
• Enjoy understanding how systems work and studying technical manuals and instrument documentation.
• Have mechanical/electrical aptitude and workshop skills for equipment maintenance and fault finding.
• Are resourceful, independent and able to troubleshoot problems and learn new equipment quickly.
• Are meticulous and detail-oriented
• Works well in a small, collaborative team environment.
• Are flexible with working hours when required for field activities.
Preferred Experience
It would be advantageous to have:
• Hands-on experience with CTDs, multi-parameter water-quality sensors, and other oceanographic instrumentation.
• Experience with measuring parameters such as temperature, conductivity/salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and chlorophyll.
• Experience with both profiling and fixed/station deployments of oceanographic instruments.
• Familiarity with common sensor issues such as sensor drift, calibration problems, and sensor/communication errors.
• Experience with QA/QC of oceanographic data (e.g. cross-variable relationships, sensor interference).
• Experience with instrument preparation, calibration and maintenance.
• Experience handling and quality-controlling large environmental datasets and time-series data.
• Experience with long-term marine or environmental monitoring programmes.
Candidates are not expected to have experience with every instrument or sensor used by the team. We value strong technical fundamentals, practical problem-solving skills and a willingness to learn.
Salary
Salary will commensurate with qualifications and experience. The appointment will be for a period of one year and extendable depending upon the candidate’s performance.
Other Benefits
What you can expect from us:
• Your work directly supports long-term marine environment monitoring
• You will gain exposure to real-world oceanographic instrumentation
• You will see the full lifecycle of data: collection, processing, storage and analysis
• Get to work with multi-year, multi-parameter marine environmental datasets
• Not a desk-bound position - a mix of indoor analytical work and outdoor field deployment.
• Opportunities for continuous professional development and upskilling (subject to time and funding).
• Relaxed and supportive team environment.
• Generous leave provisions.
If you are someone who enjoys solving technical problems, working with real-world environmental systems, and ensuring that high-quality data supports meaningful science, we encourage you to apply.
Application Procedure
Interested candidates are invited to submit their detailed resume and cover letter by applying to the CHRS job advertisement.
Candidates are to indicate the position applied for in the cover letter.
Candidates who do not hear from us within 12 weeks after the closing date of the advertisement may assume that the post has been filled.
