Asst Res Scientist

Position: ASST RES SCIENTIST
# ASST RES SCIENTIST University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MIFull-Time Jul 24, 2026

Education##

Job Description ##

How to Apply

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.## Who We Are At Michigan Engineering, we develop the talent and technologies that move society forward and serve our state and national interests.

Through discovery and innovation, we create the foundational knowledge and practical technologies to solve not only today's most pressing challenges, but also power industries and change lives. Our programs and community are designed to promote personal well-being and achievement
-enabling everyone to unlock their potential and contribute with confidence.##

Job Summary The Shea Lab in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan seeks an Assistant Research Scientist to provide technical leadership for the laboratory's implantable biosensor program. The project is an emerging research area developing continuous, in vivo fluorescence-based sensors for real-time molecular monitoring. The position requires an investigator capable of carrying the sensing platform across its full technical span, including synthesis and photophysical characterization of fluorescent recognition chemistry, design of optical and wireless hardware and its embedded firmware, integration into implantable biomaterial constructs, and validation of the devices in rodent models.

The platform's continued development is directly dependent on integration of multidisciplinary capability, which is not divisible across conventional chemistry, electrical engineering, or animal-model roles.

Working under the general direction of the Principal Investigator, the Assistant Research Scientist will have primary technical responsibility for the sensing program, design and execute complex experimental studies, resolve development challenges spanning molecular design through in vivo performance, mentor graduate students and junior laboratory personnel, contribute to grant development, and publish findings in peer-reviewed journals.## Responsibilities
* Provide technical and scientific leadership for the laboratory's implantable biosensor program, defining direction and experimental strategy, and mentoring graduate students in sensor development, device fabrication, and in vivo experimental methods.
* Design and synthesize the fluorescent recognition chemistry underlying sensor function, including organic synthesis and purification of small-molecule probes, polymer synthesis and functionalization, and photophysical characterization by fluorescence and absorbance spectroscopy.
* Develop implantable sensor electronics, including schematics and PCB layout in EDA software, analog front-end selection and implementation, wireless telemetry, power management and low-power design, and translation of breadboard prototypes to compact implantable form factors. Perform PCB assembly, rework, and benchtop validation of assembled devices.
* Develop the embedded firmware, including wireless communication protocol development, sleep state and duty-cycle scheduling for low-power operation, on-device sampling sequencing, custom I2C device drivers, RTOS-based application code, and receiver-side firmware for data capture and real-time signal conditioning.
* Develop calibration and compensation protocols, interpret photophysical data, and apply response surface modeling and appropriate statistical methods to characterize and validate sensor performance.
* Fabricate, program, and operate the sensor devices used in the laboratory's in vivo studies, and maintain the fabrication, programming, and calibration procedures on which those devices depend.
* Write and maintain IACUC protocols, perform implant, explant, and other survival surgical procedures, and design and execute in vivo validation studies in various rodent disease models, including but not limited to cancer, spinal cord injury, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, transplant rejection, endotoxemia, and type 1 diabetes, maintaining compliance with institutional, federal, and laboratory safety regulations.
* Prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals, generate intellectual property for invention disclosures and patent applications, contribute to grant applications and progress reports, and foster collaborations with investigators in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, and research groups at other institutions.##

Required Qualifications
* Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field.
* Demonstrated expertise in fluorescent probe design, synthesis, and photophysical characterization.
* Demonstrated expertise in mixed-signal PCB design and layout for miniaturized, low-power…