Posting Details

Position Information

Job Title Manager of CAMP Materials Characterization Laboratories including the BioMaterials Characterization Laboratory (BMCL) Posting Number Staff 2014000915 FLSA Exempt Level Full-time/ Part-time Full-time Is this a temporary Position? No Position Summary Information

Job Description Summary

The Lab Manager must have experience managing laboratory facilities and a record of active research and scholarship in a field related to materials science and engineering. The Lab Manager will be responsible for overseeing laboratory operations, maintaining a safe laboratory working environment, and ensuring that all instruments are maintained and operated properly by faculty, students, and technicians. The Manager also will collaborate with faculty from engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science in proposal preparation, in research projects conducted in the BMCL and other CAMP labs, and in the dissemination of research through reports, presentations, and peer-reviewed publications. Depending on the specific research expertise, the Lab Manager may play a supporting role or a primary role in the research. The Lab Manager also is expected to teach graduate and/or undergraduate courses related to materials and materials characterization in support of engineering programs in the School of Engineering. Teaching assignments (nominally two courses per year) will be assigned according to teaching needs each semester and will be assigned by the Dean of Engineering in consultation with the engineering Department Chairs and the Director of CAMP.
The candidate must have a strong desire to assist the University’s research faculty in conducting a strong basic and applied materials research program underpinned by data provided by the suite of BMCL and CAMP analytical tools. The candidate must also closely interact, assist, and communicate with graduate students and/or undergraduate students as well other members of the staff.
General Purpose: Provide high quality, reliable service to researchers who utilize Clarkson’s analytical suite of instruments in the BMCL and other CAMP labs to support their materials-related research projects.

A list of key equipment at Clarkson includes, but is not limited to:
•Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)
•Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
•Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR)
•Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)
•Confocal Microscope
•Optical Profilometer
•Spectrometer/Monochrometer
•Raman Spectrometer
•Ellipsometer
•Matrix-assisted Laser
•Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometer) (MALDI MS)
•Nanoindenter
•Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA)
•Thermogravemetric Analyzer (TGA)
•Thermograevmetric Mechanical Analyzer (TMA)
•CT XRay Scanner
•XRay Diffractometer (XRD)
•Mass Spectrometer

Position Responsibilities:
Laboratory Management Skills
•Manage all aspects of BMCL and CAMP instrumentation laboratories so that the facilities and equipment are operated and maintained in optimal working condition for use by research faculty, students, and industry research sponsors.
•Ensure that standing operating procedures (SOPs) and safety rules for each CAMP analytical instrument are developed and followed by faculty and students using the BMCL and other CAMP labs. Promote and adhere to appropriate safety regulations and best practices.
•Continuously assess Clarkson’s materials characterization capabilities and make recommendations to improve capabilities.
•Establish and promote training programs for each of the analytical instruments and certify that students operating the instruments are qualified to operate them.
•Monitor, evaluate, and approve off-hours operators of instruments.
•Ensure that maintenance and calibration schedules for all instruments are implemented in a timely manner.
•Locate and liaise with potential purchasers of surplus instrumentation/characterization equipment.
•Identify, coordinate and provide assistance with removal and/or disposal of unrepairable instruments/equipment.
•Conduct searches for new or lightly used instruments and equipment on the market, which satisfies technical specifications needed to increase Clarkson’s analytical capabilities.
•Interact professionally with application specialists, salesmen, and service engineers from the various instrument companies.
•Provide instrument usage information in a timely manner to the facility administrator responsible for accounts.
•Maintain instrument appointments and access using Clarkson’s Event Management System (EMS).
•Track billable time for instrument usage through EMS and ensure that billing is done in a timely manner (monthly).
•Coordinate billing with Instrument Accounting Specialist to ensure that faculty receive accurate statements of usage at appropriate charge rate.
Technical Leadership/Collaboration Skills
•Lead team of technicians, analysts, and an administrative assistant to ensure that the facilities and instruments are operated in accordance with prescribed best practices.
•Be an integral part of the laboratory/facility management committee, which will meet weekly to review procedures and budgets and to plan future instrument and infrastructure developments required to support faculty.

Technical Skills
•Operate CAMP’s materials characterization instruments and analytical systems in support of a variety of programs.
•Determine and recommend to faculty and/or students the most relevant analytical approach to obtain the best data for the study being conducted.
•Apply knowledge and experience operating analytical TEM, SEMand other surface analytical tools to obtain high quality data and images at nanoscale resolution. Apply experience with a wide variety of materials analysis techniques including, but not limited to, EDS, XPS, and XRD to acquire, analyze, and interpret data.
•Apply knowledge of and experience with sample preparation techniques for a variety of instruments for preparing faculty’s and student’s material specimens involving a variety of materials including, but not limited to, metals, semiconductors, dielectrics, ceramics, nanocomposites, catalysts, energy harvesting associated materials, and 2-dimensional materials.
•Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Essential Skills:
•Independent, self-directed, and able to work effectively on cross-functional teams
•Management of research facilities, projects, and people, including budgetary and management reporting responsibilities
•Problem solving (technical and managerial)
•Ability to synthesize knowledge from multiple sources and analyses and to make recommendations to improve materials measurements and/or characterization based on that knowledge
•Ability to work with a wide variety of stakeholders and resolve issues that arise in a timely manner
•Diligence
•Clear oral and written communication
•Trustworthiness
•Leadership
•Vision for future

Minimum Qualifications:
Include Education,
Experience, and Skills

PhD in Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or other Science/Engineering discipline

5 years of hands-on experience in a position with oversight responsibilities in a university, government or industry laboratory setting, including demonstrated experience in the installation, operation, and maintenance of a subset of the materials characterization instrumentation that will be in the BMCL.

Preferred Qualifications:
Include Education,
Experience, and Skills

PhD in Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or other Science/Engineering discipline

5 years hands on experience as Laboratory Manager (or equivalent job title) in a university or industry setting plus at least 3 years as an active researcher in materials science or engineering discipline and at least 2 years as professor/instructor in a college or university in a materials science related field.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, bend and stoop. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Clarkson is committed to complying with the guidelines set forth under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Posting Detail Information

Close Date Open Date 10/30/2018 Open Until Filled Yes Special Instructions for this Posting

Clarkson University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

All offers of employment are subject to the applicant successfully passing a background check (including, but not limited to, employment verification, educational and other credential verification, and criminal records).

Reference Request Details

Maximum Number of Reference Requests 3 Minimum Number of Reference Requests 2 Posting Specific Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

1. * How did you hear about this employment opportunity?
   • Academic Keys
   • Chronicle of Higher Education
   • Clarkson Website
   • HigherEdJobs.com
   • Massena-Potsdam Courier Observer
   • Hispanic Outlook
   • IM Diversity
   • Insight Into Diversity
   • JTPA
   • LinkedIn
   • New York Job Bank
   • North Country This Week
   • St. Lawrence Plaindealer
   • Veterans Administration
   • Watertown Daily Times
   • Ogdensburg Journal
   • Employee Referral
   • Alumni Referral
   • Conference Referral
   • Indeed
   • Monster.com
   • List-serv
   • NorthCountryNow.com
   • Discipline specific journals
   • Discipline specific website
   • Times Union
   • Diversityjobs.com
   • Other
   • I do not wish to answer
2. If you chose other, what advertising source helped you find this great employment opportunity?

   (Open Ended Question)

3. * What instruments have you worked with? What types of analytical experience do you have?

   (Open Ended Question)

4. * Do you have prior experience in QA/QC, GLP and related lab management issues? Please elaborate.

   (Open Ended Question)

5. * How do you embrace Diversity?

   (Open Ended Question)

6. * Do you consider yourself a team player? Are you comfortable working with graduate and undergraduate students? Please support your answer with examples of past experiences.

   (Open Ended Question)

7. What is the highest level of education you currently hold?
   • High School/GED
   • Associate
   • Bachelor
   • Master's
   • ABD (All but dissertation)
   • Ph.D.

Documents Needed to Apply Required Documents

1. Cover Letter
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Teaching Statement
4. Research Statement

Optional Documents