Associate Director, Cleanroom

Position Focus

Yale University Cleanroom is an advanced research core facility supporting a rapidly expanding portfolio of interdisciplinary research in areas including quantum devices, photonics, integrated optics, organic and flexible electronics, microfluidics, MEMS, advanced materials, and emerging nanotechnologies for faculty and students across the university. The core maintains a comprehensive and continually evolving suite of state-of-the-art micro- and nanofabrication instrumentation enabling cutting-edge research and innovation across the University.

Reporting to the University Cleanroom Director, the Associate Cleanroom Director serves as a senior operational and technical leader supporting Yale's cleanroom enterprise, including activities within both the Becton Cleanroom on central campus and the West Campus Cleanroom. The Associate Director is responsible for supporting the operation and continued development of these shared research cores, including daily operations, technical staff supervision, laboratory safety and regulatory compliance, user training and certification, process development, and the maintenance, acquisition, installation, and commissioning of advanced instrumentation and facility infrastructure.

Looking ahead, the Cleanroom is poised for a major leap forward with the planned transition of the Becton Cleanroom into an expanded, approximately 12,000-square-foot facility in Yale's new Physical Sciences and Engineering Building (PSEB) in late 2029. This exciting development is expected to significantly enhance research capacity, foster new interdisciplinary collaborations, and further elevate Yale's advanced fabrication capabilities. The Associate Director will play a key role in supporting operational planning, equipment deployment, user readiness, and facility transition activities associated with this expansion.

The Associate Director works closely with faculty, researchers, students, facilities personnel, Environmental Health and Safety staff, university administration, vendors, contractors, and external partners to ensure the facilities operate safely, efficiently, and sustainably while delivering exceptional technical capabilities and research support. The role is critical to supporting high-impact interdisciplinary research and maintaining a high level of operational and technical excellence. The Associate Director provides advanced technical leadership, mentorship, and hands-on expertise in micro- and nanofabrication processes including photolithography, physical and chemical vapor deposition, wet chemical processing, reactive ion etching, metrology, and back-end processing/packaging.

The position requires deep technical knowledge to support process integration, equipment evaluation and selection, installation and qualification of new tools, troubleshooting of complex fabrication challenges, and continuous improvement of facility capabilities and user support. Equally important are strong administrative and organizational skills, including project coordination, team collaboration and guidance while supporting initiatives that advance facility growth and modernization. This role will also provide budget tracking and operational support, cost-recovery/recharge support, and vendor/contractor coordination.

• 1. Demonstrated expertise in semiconductor and micro/nanofabrication processes including photolithography, thin film deposition, chemical processing, dry etching, vacuum systems, metrology, and related cleanroom operations.
• 2. Proven ability to supervise and mentor technical staff, manage operations across multiple cleanroom facilities, coordinate contractors and vendors, and foster a collaborative, service-oriented research environment.
• 3. Strong knowledge of laboratory operations, cleanroom infrastructure, environmental health and safety requirements, hazardous materials handling, and regulatory compliance in a research environment.
• 4. Ability to manage complex technical projects including equipment acquisition, installation, facility upgrades, budgeting, cost estimation, process implementation, and long-term infrastructure…