Instrumentation Technician

University of Calgary; Calgary; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Calgary seeks an Instrumentation Technician for the Faculty of Science, to support research and teaching with advanced instrumentation in Core Facilities.

Reporting to the Instrumentation Manager, the role includes operation, maintenance, and repair of NMR, GC, LC, MALDI, FTIR, UV-Vis and EPR systems, user training, and ensuring safety and calibration across facilities.

Qualifications

• Provide technical support and training to faculty, staff and students.
• Maintain and operate core instrumentation safely.
• Calibrate instruments and validate data quality.

Responsibilities

• Support and train users in instrument operation.
• Analyze samples across NMR, GC, LC, MALDI, FTIR, UV-Vis and EPR.
• Perform weekly cryogen fills for NMR and periodic helium fills.
• Ensure maintenance schedules and calibration records are up-to-date.
• Assist in developing and improving methods for instrumentation use.
• Foster good collaboration with the technical support team.

Skills

Technical training

Safety compliance

User support

Documentation

Team collaboration

Tools

NMR systems

GC

LC

MALDI MS

FTIR

UV-Vis

EPR

Cryogen handling

Job description

Description

The Technical Operations Group in the Faculty of Science is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Instrumentation Technician.

The Faculty of Science has been catalysing change and inspiring discovery, creativity, and innovation for over 50 years. Our strategic direction integrates current and emerging strengths with areas targeted for future growth and investment. Our strategic priorities, goals, and values guide our mission to advance research, scholarship, and innovation, create authentic learning experiences, and inspire careers of the future. We fuel transformational change, and build a strong community through teaching, learning, research, scholarship, and collaborative partnerships. We do this work to generate curiosity-drive discovery and contribute solutions to society's grand challenges. For more information, visit science.ucalgary.ca. We thrive in the dynamic context of the University of Calgary, one of Canada's most youthful and innovative universities. We are a bold and ambitious research university, grounded in innovative learning and teaching, fully engaged in Calgary's entrepreneurial spirit. Reporting to the Instrumentation Manager, the Instrumentation Technician works 35 hours per week and is a part of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE).

The Instrumentation Technician is responsible for providing technical support and advice to faculty, staff and students for all departments within the Faculty of Science and the University of Calgary. This includes the operation, maintenance and repair of instrumentation in Core Facilities and Services that are used primarily for research, and for teaching support. The Instrumentation Technician will train users in the operation of various types of analytical instrumentation.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

Technical Accountabilities:

• Support and augment the understanding of Instrumentation usage with undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research associates, and faculty.
• Analyze samples for NMR, GC, LC, direct insertion and MALDI mass spec, CHNS, FTIR, UVVIS, EPR, etc. for internal and external clients in a timely manner.
• Perform weekly liquid nitrogen cryogen fills for NMR systems, and semi-monthly liquid helium fills.
• Ensure both maintenance and preventative maintenance schedules for all instruments in the Core Facilities & Services are followed and up to date.
• Must be familiar with the assembly and operation of variable temperature NMR experiments.
• Provide help in training and supervision of operators in the safe and proper use of instrumentation.
• Ensure users are properly informed about the safety aspects of working with cryogens, superconducting magnets and high vacuum systems.
• Ensure instruments are well calibrated, fully operational and users are trained properly for obtaining experimental data to complete their research projects.
• Maintain a high level of expertise with continuous upgrading of technical skills and knowledge in the field of chemical analyses in the evolving fields of NMR, MS, FTIR, GC, LC etc.
• Use the available resources to independently pursue excellence in developing new methods and protocols in Instrumentation usage.
• Maintain and foster a good working relationship with the technical support team and with other members of the Faculty of Science.
• Ensure facility policies are properly written, documented, shared and followed by all users