Senior Electronic Lab Engineer

Job Summary

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at CU Boulder is accepting applications for The Senior Electronic Lab Engineer position. This role works to design, manufacture, install, and maintain various electronic and electromechanical equipment based on researcher requests. This position also advises chemical engineers on the most efficient and economical means to integrate necessary electronics into their research projects.
The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

Chemical and biological engineering research seeks to address a variety of complex and important challenges, from renewable and sustainable energy, therapeutics and pharmaceutical development, to the creation and improvement of functional materials and more.

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive learning, teaching and working environment for all students, faculty, staff and guests. The diversity of our community is central to our success as a world-class center of teaching, learning and research.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Design and Fabrication of Electronic Equipment:

• Work with department faculty, staff, and students to develop designs from concepts.
• Apply electronic and mechanical engineering principles to design and integrate electronic control and drive mechanisms to high-precision mechanical devices. Duties include working in close cooperation with mechanical shop staff on projects involving integration of mechanical design and electronic engineering. Examples include bio-cell research loading devices, particle-collision instruments, and solar-powered irrigation control mechanisms
• Coach graduate students in basic electronics and instrumentation as specifically related to their research projects. Involvement can range from the offering of consultation to sitting side-by-side at the electronics bench for weeks as a project is carried forward from design to an actual custom fabricated and packaged electronic circuit. Practical training in layout, wiring, soldering and troubleshooting is provided.
• Keep abreast of new products and concepts in electronics so that each plan is pioneering. Examples: new microchips, sensors, controllers, electromechanical devices, and data-acquisition hardware and software.

Equipment Repair:

• Troubleshoot and repair electronic equipment, sophisticated scientific instruments, and electromechanical equipment used in the teaching and research laboratories.
• Maintain expertise in the use of electronic test instruments such as oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, function generators, and possess the ability to improvise custom test circuits as necessary.

Undergraduate Laboratory Support:

• Provide support for undergraduate instructional laboratories including the installation, maintenance, and upgrading of equipment.
• Provide technical support to instructors as needed during lab sessions; this may include fixing equipment during classes.
• Work with faculty and technical staff in the design, construction, and implementation of new experimental units.
• Work with vendors and faculty to determine best and most cost-effective solutions to upgrade existing and/or design new experiments.
• Monitor and regularly test experiments and equipment to ensure proper performance.
• Diagnose equipment issues and determine the best methods to effectively repair or fix problems. This may involve purchasing new parts, re-purposing old parts, replacing out-of-date instrumentation, and/or scheduling equipment repair times.
• Ensure all software installations such as LabVIEW function properly and are up to date; this may mean working with OIT and/or lab instructors.
• Ensure all laboratory computers are upgraded as necessary.

Electronic Instrumentation:

• Provide technical information, advice and recommendations to faculty, postdoc researchers, and graduate students regarding the standard process in the use of electronic sensors and data acquisition equipment.
• Design, specify, and build electronic measurement and data acquisition systems to support research. A typical application involves selection and interfacing of electronic sensors to personal-computer-based data acquisition systems via analog-to-digital (A-D) and digital-to-analog (D-A) converter cards. (Emphasis on National instruments/LabView software).

Software Support:

• Serve as a resource on the use of LabVIEW software and upon request, provide technical support to the department’s research laboratories users in the use of this tool.
• Ensure all laboratory computers are upgraded as necessary.

Other Duties:

• Participates in professional development activities and serves on unit, college or campus committees as applicable.
• Stays apprised and current on relevant University and State of Colorado policies and procedures.
• Undertakes other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

What You Should Know

This is a 60% time, part-time position.

What We Can Offer

The hourly range for this part-time position is $30/hr. - $40.74/hr. Relocation assistance is available within department guidelines.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits , including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder .

Be Statements

Be encouraged. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field and 3+ years of professional, job-related experience
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may substitute.

What You Will Need

• Proficiency in design and repair of Digital and Analog circuitry.
• Must be approachable and highly customer service oriented. Speaks in a manner that will be understood, is courteous, and effective.
• Meticulous, but also able to strategically conceive and coordinate long-term projects planned over a long period of time.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills with students, faculty, and staff.
• Ability to work independently as well as on a team.
• Proficiency in complex laboratory systems.
• Must be able to prioritize tasks needed to be able to work comfortably with a wide range of electrical and mechanical equipment.

What We Would Like You to Have

• Experience with teaching, training or coaching in a lab environment. Ability to guide students in a very broad range of an hands-on activities and projects.
• Fluent in LabVIEW software.
• Previous experience working with laboratory equipment and lab safety procedures.
• Previous experience in designing electro-mechanical motion devices/actuators.
• Familiarity with project management, time and cost effective procedures/processes to be developed.
• Experience in higher education interacting with engineering faculty and students.
• Sensitivity to, and appreciation of, cultural, political, and geographical differences, with ability to work well with faculty, staff, and students from around the world.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

1. A current resume.
2. A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.

We may request references at a later time.

Please apply by 11/15/2024 for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs .

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources

Posting Contact Email: recruiting@colorado.edu