Instrumentation Specialist - Chemistry

POSITION OBJECTIVE

Working under occasional supervision, the Instrumentation Specialist will oversee the operation, development, and strategic advancement of the Department of Chemistry Instrumentation Facility, supporting both academic research and high-enrollment undergraduate teaching laboratories across general, organic, analytical, physical, and chemical biology. This position will perform instrument updates, trouble-shooting, repair and maintenance for complex equipment such as LC/MS, GC/MS, high resolution MS, atomic absorption spectrometers (AAS), Raman, UV/Vis, FTIR, fluorescence spectrophotometers, GC, and HPLC;

and utilize these instruments in both research and instructional environments. In addition, the instrumentation specialist will design, implement, and lead structured instrumentation training programs, including intensive summer training for PhD students and graduate teaching assistants, to prepare them for instructional responsibilities, independent research, and future careers in academia, national laboratories, and industry. This position includes oversight of instrumentation infrastructure expansion, installation, upgrades, and modernization aligned with high-enrollment undergraduate laboratory programs and evolving research needs.

• Teaching labs and training leadership: prepare and set up analytical instruments used in undergraduate laboratories (Millis Building rooms 110, 210, 311, and G16) and courses (CHEM 113, CHEM 114, CHEM 233, CHEM 234, CHEM 290, CHEM 304, CHEM 305, CHEM 306, and CHEM 332). Assist with the acquisition and interpretation of data from the analytical instruments (including Raman, UV/Vis, FTIR, and fluorescence spectrophotometers, GC, GC/MS, HPLC, LC/MS, and AAS) located in the undergraduate labs.
  
  Assist stockroom technicians with preparation of standards and reagents for instruments calibration. Assist stockroom technicians with distribution and collection of laboratory supplies and equipment necessary for laboratory courses and experiments according to experimental specifications. Train graduate students, graduate teaching assistants, instructors, postdoctoral scholars, and undergraduate students in the operation of all instruments in the facilities. Develop and write instrument standard operational procedures in collaboration with instructors and graduate teaching assistants.
  
  Maintain contact with manufacturers to ensure prompt and reasonably inexpensive repairs, when needed. Lead and coordinate comprehensive instrumentation training programs designed for graduate teaching assistants supporting large-enrollment laboratory courses, including Chem 113 (up to 8 sections, 50 students each), Chem 114 CURE-based course expansion, and Chem 233/234 (up to 15 sections, 50 students each). Develop and deliver structured summer instrumentation training programs for PhD students and graduate teaching assistants to ensure readiness for teaching, research, and professional development.
  
  Provide hands‑on training and oversight for a broad range of instructional instrumentation including UV-Vis spectroscopy, GC, FTIR, melting point apparatus, polarimetry, and advanced instrumentation used in upper‑level undergraduate courses (Chem 304, Chem 305/332), including AAS (Flame and Graphite Furnace), LC/MS, HPLC, GC/MS, electrochemistry workstations, and autotitrators. (60%)
• Instrumentation facility leadership and modernization: responsible for the daily operation of the Chemistry Instrumentation Center which includes the atomic absorption spectrometers, Raman, UV/Vis, FTIR, LC/MS, GC/MS, high resolution MS, fluorescence spectrophotometers, GC, GCMS and new HPLC. Oversee operations, maintenance and training of personnel for these instruments. Develop and implement fee collection mechanisms. Manage billing and accounting for users. Develop and write protocols/instrument operating procedures for use by experienced users in a research setting.
  
  Develop and write maintenance standard operation procedures for use by the department’s technical staff. Schedule experiments for undergraduate labs in concert with the laboratory instructors. Oversee installation,…