Research Engineer

About the Job

Please note, this position is not eligible for H-1B or Green Card sponsorship. This position does not offer a STEM OPT training program.

Position Overview:

We seek a highly motivated multidisciplinary engineer to serve in the Runck Lab in the GEMS Informatics Center. The successful candidate will support research in instrumentation and internet of things systems and will support the GEMS Sensing Service Organization.

Description

This is a 100% research position with the primary aim of prototyping and supporting existing distributed, low cost electronics systems.

* Research and Development (70%)

* Gain expertise in and perform research, development, prototyping, testing, and scaling process architecting focused on internet-connected hardware systems in the following respective areas:

* i. Sensing and Instrumentation

* ii. Robotics

* iii. Manufacturing

* iv. Wireless connectivity

* Evaluate the effectiveness of IoT technologies as used in the context of food, agricultural and natural resource applications. This could include performing user surveys, interviews, and engaging design review sessions with users.

* Assist in collaborative platform development with the target users of the hardware systems, including working with scientists, farmers, and other user groups

* Assist in producing quality professional and policy outputs such as science training documentation, tutorials, standard operating procedures, online content, journal articles, books, book chapters, and presentations

* Assist the Lab Field Manager in the support, maintenance, and decommissioning or field-deployed systems.

* Research support (20%)

* Support student and junior team members projects by providing technical expertise

* Support lab management including the setup and maintenance of workspace and laboratory equipment performance by establishing quality standards; developing operations, quality, and troubleshooting procedures; building up specific experimental capabilities (machining, electronics, sourcing components); overseeing, coordinating, and/or executing capital and general equipment orders (working with vendors, obtaining quotes, etc.); ensuring staff compliance; certifying instrument performance; arranging equipment replacement, service, and repair;

ensuring that lab consumables are stocked; coordinating removal of surplus equipment in the lab and ensuring general organization of each experimental station in the lab; ensuring lab users maintain their work areas in a clean and organized manner; schedule regular lab cleaning events for all graduate, postdoc, and researchers using the lab; along with other critical functions. Maintain an up-to-date description of lab materials for grant writing.

* Education and Training (10%)

* Develop instructional materials for online and face-to-face environments

* Provide regular, on-going training on internet of things technologies for K12, undergraduate, and adult learners in internet of things technologies

Priority Deadline

Note:

The application review will begin on June 15th. This position will remain open until filled.

Qualifications

Required

* A BS in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a closely related field plus at least 2 years of relevant experience (professional or through courses), or a combination of education and relevant work experience to equal at least six years.

* Building 2 or more Internet of Things (IoT) prototype sensing, instrumentation, robotics, manufacturing, or wireless connectivity systems. Specifically, this includes design of power electronic systems, low power embedded systems, and analog signal chains

* Designing and printing PCBs

* Building hardware prototypes, developing firmware and/or software using tooling such as embedded C/C++, Eagle, Altium, Xilinx, Solidworks, Autodesk
360.

* Use of a high-level programming and scripting languages such Python, Matlab, or R, and exposure to Markdown (HTML, LaTEX)

* Use of Git Hub and the Particle Internet of Things platform

* Providing technical support and developing patches for existing hardware and firmware systems

* Working with and maintaining 3D printers

* Knowledge of the complete hardware system life cycle, including specification gathering, designing, prototyping, manufacturing, quality assurance, deployment, maintenance, and decommissioning

* One or more experiences working in an interdisciplinary setting with software engineers, data scientists, and non-engineers

Preferred

* An MS in Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field with an undergraduate minor in computer science and 2 years of work experience in at least one of sensing, instrumentation, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and wireless connectivity

* 2+ years of experience working with external manufacturers and doing design for manufacturing

* 2+ years of field experience deploying distributed sensing and actuation systems in remote, low connectivity, and harsh environments such as in developing…