Agency
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science
Job Category
Graduate Assistantships (M.S.). Fulltime, 20 hours per week/280 hours per semester
Salary
A graduate position with $4,806 maintenance/tuition fee waiver and $4,500 stipend per semester (valued at $18,600 per year) is available starting Spring 2027 and will be available for up to six academic semesters depending on performance. It is very common in my lab for graduate students to be awarded separate summer contracting, but this cannot be listed as part of this position advertisement. [Note: this full-time GA is associated with a stipend that will be divided into four equal installments, paid at the end of September, October, November, December for the fall and January, February, March, and April for the spring. The partial maintenance fee waiver will be applied to your UTC account and may leave a remaining maintenance fee balance of approximately $1,100. Also note, students will be responsible for other expenses, like books or parking permit.]
Start Date
01/08/2027
Last Date to Apply
10/02/2026
Description
I am seeking a Master's student interested in botanical research who is also looking gain experience running and growing a mid-sized herbarium from 50,000 to 65,000 specimens. From the research perspective, this student and I may develop a thesis project on various topics related to floristics, invasive plant species, rare plant species, conservation, herbarium studies, or herbarium specimen digitization. From the non-profit side, I seek a student willing to take on large aspects of the workload related to creating, organizing, running, and report-writing related to the 73rd annual SWFP. Funding is available for up to three years (6 academic semesters). Separate, summer funding will likely be available through additional contract work on field-based or herbarium-based projects. To apply, please include (1) a 1-page cover letter that includes statements about botanical experience and coursework as well as a statemen on (2) how this position may benefit career or educational goals, (3) CV, and (4) contact information for 4 references in a single PDF file, and send to joey-shaw@utc.edu. Please use subject line "UCHT Herbarium Assistantship". Once I decide on a candidate, that candidate will also need to apply to the
UTC Graduate Program.
The UCHT Herbarium contains >50,000 specimens that are part of the current collection and an additional 10 specimens in backlog. Herbarium specimens in this collection are mostly from Tennessee and north Georgia, but there are significant n8umbers of specimens from western states, and several countries from Africa, Asia, and Europe. UCHT was digitized as part of the larger SERNEC effort and many specimens have been more deeply digitized to include collectors, dates, and locality strings. Primary responsibilities of this position will be to oversee the complete digitization of the herbarium as well as specimen preparation, integration, and digitization of the backlog.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is the second largest school in the University of Tennessee System, serving a diverse student body of more than 11k undergraduate and graduate students through five academic colleges. UTC offers a unique blend of private and public school traditions and is a driving force for achieving excellence, embracing diversity, inspiring positive change, and enriching the community.
Chattanooga, the fourth largest city in the state, is located in Southeast Tennessee near the border of Georgia at the junction of four interstate highways. The city has received national recognition for the renaissance of its beautiful downtown and redevelopment of its riverfront. Chattanooga also has the fastest internet in the country. Home to the first Gig Internet in the United States, Chattanooga has a 100% fiber network that links every home and business in a 600-square mile area. Companies like Unum, McKee, U.S. Xpress, Volkswagen, Coke United and Amazon.com have chosen to set up shop in Chattanooga. Attractions such as the Tennessee Aquarium, Lookout Mountain, Civil War battlefield sites, the African American Museum, and the Appalachian Trail bring thousands of people to the area, as do events like the Riverbend Festival, Nightfall, Jazzanooga, the Creative Discovery Museum for Children, and the Southern Writers Conference. Chattanooga is the home of the seven-time NCAA Southern Conference Football Champions. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs. P eople who love the outdoors use Chattanooga as the base for hang-gliding, bass fishing, mountain climbing and caving expeditions; the beautiful Smoky Mountains and Tennessee River support the richest variety of flora of any area in the United States. Chattanooga also has a long and rich past with regard to diversity, which includes Native American heritage, Civil War history, and the Civil Rights movement. Chattanooga is also just a two-hour (or less) drive from Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville, and Birmingham.
The University of Tennessee Chattanooga is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or protected veteran status.
Qualifications
REQUIRED (applicants without these will not be considered): Undergraduate degree in a related field. Undergraduate GPA > 3.0. At least 1 undergraduate course (or other training) in botany and/or strong evidence of botanical experience. Strong work ethic and communication skills. STRONGLY DESIRED (applicants with one or more of these qualifications will be highly competitive): Understanding Symbiota/SERNEC portals, basic coding (R or Python), experience working with people; i.e., a strong candidate will be able to effectively communicate with academics, researchers, conservation workers, or members of the public.
