Control Technical Assistant (Entomology) – Department of Zoology and Entomology – Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences needed at University of Pretoria/Universiteit van Pretoria

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The incumbent will be responsible for:

• Presenting, allocated undergraduate Invertebrate Biology practicals;
• Setting up and marking of practical tests and practical exams;
• Assisting lecturers to integrate theory and practicals;
• Planning and setting up allocated practicals for lecturers and obtaining live specimens, slides, alcohol material, notes, and posters; 
• Curating an Entomological reference collection to aid in Entomological practicals;
• Collaborating with other institutions (e.g., ARC and Ditsong museum) to obtain practical material as well as supplying them with rare student collection material; 
• Demonstrating and training students in the use of Entomological techniques and equipment;
• Helping students with the identification of Insect specimens; 
• Supplying entomological equipment (e.g., pinning material etc.) to students;
• Sorting out and packing away third year students Insect collections (Send material to collections like the National collection, Ditsong museum, and other collectors of specific material);
• Sorting out the old and new alcohol material, insect specimens, Entomological equipment, and see that all the alcohol is topped up in the collections;
• Ensuring safe storage of chemicals used for practicals in Entomological lab;
• Upkeeping of three Entomological store rooms;
• Assisting new Entomology lecturers beginning with their research and starting with materials (mostly live and alcohol and pinned materials) needed for their practicals;
• Helping with Entomological queries; 
• Supervising the Entomological work of the lab assistant;
• Supervising the laboratory assistant that helps packing out of microscopes, etc. and sticking down provided notes;
• Allocating students to practical groups and managing the groups for the first-year module;
• Assisting the first-year lecturer and converse with the students and put them in the correct practicals group if they have clashes;
• General assistance with student administration;
• Coordinating the departmental roster of lectures and practicals with the “senior academic scheduling specialist” at administration for the following year;
• Setup for each course and ensuring that there are no clashes in the timetable (Same lecturers lecture in different courses and some students take many courses that might overlap);
• Ordering the first and second semester “Prescribed and recommended” books for all the under graduate courses on Nevada (for all the undergraduate lecturer);
• Helping with exhibitions and open day – supply material and specimens, microscopes posters and live material.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Relevant Bachelors/BTech degree with at least three (3) years’ experience OR National Diploma with at least five (5) years’ experience;
• Experience mentioned above should include the following:
• tutoring or demonstrating;
• basic administration, scheduling and organisation;
• A valid driver’s license.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES (SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND BEHAVIOURAL ATTRIBUTES):

• Knowledge on invertebrate and insect biology;
• Basic knowledge of insect curation;
• Ability to set up practicals;
• Appropriate language and communication skills;
• Able to work independently, in a group, and under pressure;
• Have good interpersonal skills.

ADDED ADVANTAGES AND PREFERENCES:

• MSc in Entomology;
• Basic laboratory experience.