CRN Research Engineer

University of British Columbia - Staff; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player seeks a Research Engineer to lead innovative projects in composite materials. This role involves collaboration with industry partners to design experiments, analyze data, and develop Knowledge in Practice Documents. You will guide a team of engineers and students, ensuring project milestones are met while fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. If you're passionate about engineering and eager to contribute to cutting-edge research, this opportunity offers a rewarding career path with significant impact in the field.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of related experience in engineering or applied science.
• Demonstrated ability to manage experiments and analyze data.

Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate projects with industry partners.
• Design experiments and oversee testing to meet project goals.

Skills

Project Management

Data Analysis

Engineering Design

Composite Materials Knowledge

Communication Skills

Team Leadership

Education

Undergraduate degree in Engineering or Applied Science

Graduate degree (preferred)

Tools

Modeling Software

Spreadsheet Software

Word Processing Software

Job description

Job Category M&P - AAPS Job Title CRN Research Engineer Department Student Research Support | A. Pourartip | Department of Materials Engineering | Faculty of Applied Science Posting End Date May 15, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date May 30, 2026

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Research Engineer for the Composites Research Network (CRN) in the Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science works with industry partners on composite materials manufacturing and design projects and is responsible for translating the project outcomes into Knowledge in Practice Documents for the CRN in partnership with the Composites Knowledge Network (CKN).

The Engineer will provide guidance to a team of engineers responsible for each nodes in CRN/CKN network and will be required to work cooperatively with the other engineers to support industry partners on sponsored projects and generate a library of Knowledge in Practice Documents. The job will involve responsibility in setting, defining and developing experimental goals, designing manufacturing processes, overseeing experiments to identify deviations from expected results, analyzing and interpreting data, and writing reports and presenting outcomes.

Organizational Status

The position reports to the Director, Dr. Anoush Poursartip. The Research Engineer will provide supervisory and direct support to other research engineers, graduate students, postdoctoral fellow and undergraduate interns in the Composites Research Network at UBC and visiting engineers from the sponsor companies.

Work Performed

Project management and coordination for industry partner projects. Responsible for analyzing, defining and planning engineering aspects of projects. Works with funding industry partners to identify and define their design or manufacturing needs, define the project parameters to address the desired outcomes/objectives, designs experiments, and overseeing students conducting and testing experiments.

The Engineer may be involved in developing ideas for future research and development in collaboration with the Director and industry partners. The Engineer may also be required to draft proposals for said ideas and will help in grant writing.

Responsible for designing the engineering and experimental technology to meet the industry partners’ project need, manages small scale manufacturing and/or design projects, and develops and implements new research activities in the areas of out-of-autoclave (OOA) composite materials processing. Conducts engineering design for experiments to develop analytical and numerical models to characterize OOA composite material properties and behaviour. Develop overall specification, design and oversee the assembly of experimental prototype . Analyzes experiment data, evaluates technology and design alternatives, and communicates results with industry partners, and translates outcomes into Knowledge in Practice Documents.

The Engineer will manage a number of projects throughout the nodes on the network simultaneously, and synthesize and analyze the data from these projects into Knowledge in Practice Documents. The Engineer will be responsible for specific deliverables and the Engineer will be expected to meet strict deadlines for completing different phases of the project. The Engineer will provide technical advice on composite materials manufacturing and design to industry partners and other members of the group, including engineers, research associates, postdoctoral fellows and students. Responsible for reviewing the experimental data and determine their validity thereof.

The Engineer will be responsible for managing and coordinating activities with other nodes in the CRN/CKN network. This Engineer will liaise with the other nodes and manage their activities and interactions with CRN/CKN

The Engineer will be responsible for providing training to and supervising graduate students, coop students, interns and visiting Engineers for participation in selected projects and provide guidance and mentorship in the area of engineering design, and analytical and safety procedures and protocols.

From time to time, the engineer will be required to perform other related duties.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

The Research Engineer will exercise professional judgment and initiative in the overall coordination and management of projects, and will be accountable for the effective execution of all related activities. He/she is required to conduct all activities in an ethical manner, suited to proper activities of the University of BC, the granting agencies, and to the professional organizations governing him/herself and those governing the activities of all other investigators. Failure to do so can lead to delays in project progress, including results of projects and questionable integrity for the project. Industrial research projects require successful collection and analysis of data from the experiments. Errors in project execution will adversely impact project schedule and the utility of the results reported. Accumulated errors will affect the reputation of the CRN and adversely impact future funding for CRN.

Supervision Received

The Research Engineer will work as part of one or more teams with considerable latitude and reports to Dr. Anoush Poursartip. The position will be responsible for setting goals, schedules and project directions, which require a high degree of professional skill, organization and motivation. This position is accountable for the progress of industry sponsored projects, and the effective and efficient execution of project milestones and commitments. Work will be reviewed against the overall strategic plan and project deliverables and objectives. Knowledge in Practice Documents are subject to general review before completion.

Supervision Given

The supervision given will include day-to-day direction of all relevant CRN lab staff, selected graduate students, coop and intern students, and visiting Engineers who will participate in various research projects. Provide work related direction to the engineers in the CRN/CKEN network.


Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in Engineering or Applied Science. Minimum of five years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

Graduate degree with skill in setting up experimental equipment, managing experiments and data collection and analysis preferred.

Familiarity with composites manufacturing and/or design methods and computer skills (e.g., modeling, spreadsheet and word processing).

Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision, and in a cooperative manner with a wide range of internal and external contacts.

Proven organizational and supervision experience.

Exceptional interpersonal, communication, management and organizational skills. Effective oral and written communication, organizational and interpersonal skills.