Instrumentation Specialist

Purdue University; West Lafayette (IN); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Purdue University’s School of Mechanical Engineering invites an Instructional Support Engineer to maintain and enhance undergraduate instructional labs and labs’ computer facilities in West Lafayette, IN. You will develop documentation, train staff, and lead design efforts for new apparatus while ensuring safety and project outcomes for students and faculty.

The role involves collaboration with faculty and TAs, supervising undergraduates, and guiding lab activities to modernize the instructional

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematical field.
• Two years of related experience required.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered.
• Experience in electronics design, fabrication, and troubleshooting; mechanical assembly desired.
• Programming skills using microcontrollers needed.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic guidance in the development of new laboratory experiments and apparatus.
• Serve as primary contact in instructional laboratories for instructors and teaching assistants on lab functionality, curriculum design, and maintenance of equipment.
• Develop documentation for specification, design, fabrication, testing, and repair of equipment.
• Collect and analyze data on common lab problems and propose mitigations.
• Perform root cause analysis on equipment failures.
• Engineer solutions to ensure students can complete lab assignments without interruptions.
• Provide mentorship/consultation in electrical, mechanical, electronics, and measurement systems to students.
• Assist students in project design and encourage clear questions.
• Consult on safety processes and propose improved approaches for student success.
• Independently design and implement safety policies for equipment operation.
• Create training materials for instructors, TAs, and student workers.
• Update labs as equipment adapts to new needs.
• Review safety concerns on course projects.
• Collaborate with faculty to design effective lab activities and spaces.

Skills

CAD software

Programming/coding

Soldering and hand tools

Process/project management

Written and verbal communication

Safety training and mentorship

Education

Bachelor’s degree in science/engineering/mathematical field

Tools

CAD software

Job description

The Instructional Support Engineer works in the Electronics shop and serves as a consultant, providing direct support to faculty, staff, and students in the school’s formal instructional labs for all undergraduate courses in Mechanical Engineering. This includes more than 9 formal courses across 8 instructional labs. This position also supports 3 computer labs used to teach additional courses.

Day-to-day responsibilities include maintenance and repair of instructional lab equipment and ensuring the instructional facilities are ready for each lab session. Equipment consists primarily of custom-designed instrumentation that is not commercially available; as such, this position develops documentation related to specification, design, fabrication, testing, and repair of equipment and develops and trains on these elements. Repair and maintenance involve root cause analysis and complex decision-making related to problems that do not have clear solutions and require new, engineered solutions. Through these responsibilities, the Instructional Support Engineer ensures labs are running at optimal functionality in order to enable successful completion of course projects, objectives, assignments, and outcomes for faculty, staff, and students.

This position collaborates frequently with new faculty and teaching assistants each semester to provide safety training, equipment training, lab orientations, and prescribe processes if issues arise in working with complex lab equipment/instrumentation. The training materials and topics are to be developed by this position in response to identified needs and deficiencies of knowledge in course instructional staff. This position will also participate in weekly course meetings to ensure the safe and consistent operation of the labs.

This position will provide strategic guidance in the development of new laboratory experiments and apparatus to further modernize the school’s undergraduate program. In this role, given new concepts in lab apparatus, this position will lead the design efforts to physically implement this concept idea. This position will engage collaborators and resources as needed to develop the proposed solution and bring the proposal through the design review process, construction process, and implementation process. Additionally, the Instructional Support Engineer will hire and supervise undergraduate students working to support the school’s instructional and computer labs.

This position offers a chance to make a meaningful impact at a prestigious institution known for innovation and research excellence. Join our community of lifelong learners and contribute your skills to this critical program. At Purdue, you'll find unrivaled pride and unlimited potential as we persistently pursue the next giant leap together.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Provide strategic guidance in the development of new laboratory experiments and apparatus to further modernize the school’s undergraduate program.


• Serve as a primary point of contact in the Mechanical Engineering formal instructional laboratories for course instructors and course assistants related to functionality of instructional lab apparatus, design of lab curriculum to target desired educational outcomes, and all information related to maintenance/repair of instructional lab equipment and functional lab setup.


• Develop process documentation related to specification, design, fabrication, testing, and repair of equipment.


• Collect and analyze data on common problems found in the instructional lab and design and develop proposals to mitigate or eliminate these problems.


• Perform root cause analysis on all failures of equipment.


• Engineer solutions and implement as necessary in order to ensure all students can successfully complete lab assignments during scheduled lab periods and do not experience interruptions in curricular goals.


• Provide individual mentor/consultation services in electrical, mechanical, electronics, and measurement systems to students to support course projects in the formal instructional labs.


• Provide assistance and guidance to students in the design of course projects and prompt students to better define questions/projects.


• Consult and advise on appropriate processes in coordination with safety standards; recommend new/different approaches that may enable a higher degree of student success in project(s).


• Independently design, develop, and implement safety policies and procedures related to the specification, design, fabrication, testing, and repair of equipment to ensure the safe operation of each of the formal instructional lab areas.


• Create and provide training on these procedures for course instructors, teaching assistants, student employees, and students as needed.


• Make regular updates based on new information/issues that present over time as equipment is adapted to different needs.


• Serve as a reviewer for safety concerns on course projects conducted in the instructional labs.


• Work with faculty on the design and development of effective lab activities given the constraints of student count, time, and equipment.


• Work with faculty area groups on the redevelopment of instructional lab spaces including the development of new apparatus.


• Provide expertise in the design of apparatus to ensure safety and supportability in the instructional labs.


• Work with faculty on the design and development of effective lab activities given the constraints of student count, time, and equipment.


• Work with faculty area groups on the redevelopment of instructional lab spaces including the development of new apparatus.


• Provide expertise in the design of apparatus to ensure safety and supportability in the instructional labs.

About Us:

The School ofMechanical engineering atPurdueUniversityhas a mission to change the world for the better, one student at a time. We began in 1882 as experts in locomotives (thus the name\"Boilermakers!\") and now in the 21st century, we continue to move the world forward by combining the latest technologies with the strongest of fundamentals.

About 2,600 undergraduate students are part of thePurdueMEfamily in West Lafayette, Indiana. As one of the broadest engineering disciplines, our students and faculty have the widest variety of interests and expertise. We maintain high standards, whether in the classroom, the laboratory, or the workplace. PurdueMEis one of the top ten schools in the country, as ranked by US News & World Report.

• Bachelor’s degree in science technology, engineering, or mathematical field


• Two (2) years of related experience required


• Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered


• Experience in electronics design, fabrication, and troubleshooting, as well as making and mechanical assembly desired


• Programming skills using microcontrollers needed

Skills needed:

• Using soldering equipment, basic hand tools


• CAD software


• Programming/coding


• Good written and verbal skills


• Proficiency in process/project management


• Ability to interact with faculty, staff, and students and convey information critical to safety and process

Who We Are:

Purdue is a community built on collaboration, with global perspectives, Boilermaker pride and endless opportunity to live, learn and grow. Join us and contribute to our culture.

• Purdue will not sponsor employment authorization for this position


• A background check will be required for employment in this position


• Retirement Eligibility: Defined Contribution Waiting Period

Compensation Information: Professional 2 Pay Band S065 Job Code#20003171 Link to Purdue University's Compensation Guidelines: https://www.purdue.edu/hr/mngcareer/compguidelines/index.php

Purdue University is an equal opportunity/equal access university