Department:

Biology

Position Summary:

The Department of Biology at JSU is seeking candidates for three GRA positions in Fall 2024. This position is funded from external sources, and continuation of employment is contingent upon availability of funds. This is a research position involving professional and technical work under the supervision of Dr. Le Su to investigate cell biology and molecularly targeted therapy of childhood cancers.

Primary responsibility is to engage in original research under Dr. Su’s supervision in the course of obtaining a graduate degree. This can involve regular lab work, library research, data analysis, writing, presentations, or any other activity that can be counted as research. The GRA position is not significantly involved with teaching or devoted to administrative functions.

Positions will be filled based on individual applicant’s skills, qualification, and departmental needs.

If you choose to apply for employment as a graduate student at JSU, your transcripts and letters of recommendation will be reviewed by personnel from the units who have posted a graduate administrative assistantship position.

Compensation:

$8.25 per hour with a max of 20 hours per week for a total of 16 weeks.

Student compensation is based on the number of hours worked, and students must clock in and clock out for each shift. Biweekly payroll over the course of the term.

In addition to an hourly rate, graduate assistantships carry a scholarship of 6-9 semester hours of graduate tuition and the general university fee. (Maximum of $4,100)

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Searching for and reviewing published literature on a research topic
• Helping to develop a project methodology
• Assisting with lab work
• Taking lab notes
• Attending team or project meetings
• Collecting and analyzing data
• Supervising undergraduate research assistants or other personnel on research-related tasks
• Assisting with manuscript or grant development
• Preparing reports or presentations

Graduate Assistantship Qualifications:

• Must be classified as a degree-seeking graduate student at JSU.
• Must be actively enrolled in a graduate degree program at JSU during the assistantship semester.
• If a new student, must be admitted to a degree program.
• Must be actively enrolled in required coursework towards the degree. The Graduate Assistantship will not pay for courses that are not in the degree program plan of study/checklist.

Note: If a student is classified as a graduate student and is required to take undergraduate courses for the graduate degree (foundation courses, undergraduate deficiency courses, etc.), the Graduate Assistantship will only pay for these courses if they are documented as required courses via memo from the student’s advisor to the Director of Graduate Studies.

• Must hold the minimum required GPA for the student’s enrolled degree program.
• During the assistantship semester, must be enrolled at JSU in six to nine (6-9) graduate semester hours in a fall or spring semester or six to nine (6-9) graduate semester hours in a full summer term. (Full summer term = May, June, and July). An exception to this requirement may be made by the Director of Graduate Studies, under the following circumstances:
  • If a student is classified as a graduate student and is required to take undergraduate courses for a graduate degree (foundation courses, undergraduate deficiency courses, etc.). The Graduate Assistantship will only pay for these courses if they are documented as required courses via memo from the student’s advisor to the Director of Graduate Studies.
  • If a student has made satisfactory progress toward obtaining the graduate degree and needs fewer than six (6) graduate semester hours available to complete the degree, the student may be considered for an assistantship.
  • If a student will hold a Graduate Teaching Assistantship during a summer term, the student may be allowed to enroll in fewer than six (6) graduate hours to be considered for the assistantship, as long as the courses are required for the degree.
• Must not be holding another campus job.
• A graduate assistant is prohibited from accepting, receiving, or being credited for other forms of tuition scholarships or waivers from the University. Scholarships from sources outside of the University and the JSU employee benefit of tuition assistance will both be permitted.
• If the student has previously held a Graduate Assistantship position at JSU, the student must have fulfilled all duties and complied with all policies to be considered for another Graduate Assistantship.
• It is preferred that a Graduate Teaching Assistant not teach and take a class during the same summer term. Any student wanting to teach and take a class in the same summer term must be granted permission by his/her advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies prior to enrolling in the course. Requests should be sent via e-mail.
• It should be noted that the graduate assistantship tuition scholarship may affect the amount of federal financial aid for which students are eligible. The graduate assistant will be responsible for determining if there is any impact on eligibility of other financial aid programs.
• Must complete FERPA training, Sexual Harassment training, and other training as required through JSU.

International graduate assistantships must be certified by the Director of the International House and Programs to perform duties and receive compensation.

Notice Regarding International Students:

• All International Students must be in a valid immigration status. 

• Please visit the International Programs website for additional information: http://www.jsu.edu/international/index.html

• Due to Visa requirements international students must be enrolled as a full-time JSU student and possess each of the following:

a.  Passport from their respective country.

b.  F-1 Student Visa or J-1 Exchange Student Visa.

c.  U.S. Customs Form I-94.

d.  Official photo identification.

e.  Official Social Security Card imprinted with “Valid for Work Only” or similar statement. 

Required Documents:

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Unofficial Transcript

Clery Notice: In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act,  https://www.clerycenter.org/the-clery-act the Jacksonville State University Police provide information on crimes statistics, crime prevention, law enforcement, crime reporting, and other related issues for the past three calendar years. The JSU Annual Campus Security and Fire Report is available online at: http://jsu.edu/police/docs/CleryAnnualReport.pdf

Equal Employment Opportunity: JSU is an Equal Employment, Equal Opportunity, and Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.