Materials Lab Technician, Characterization & Instrumentation

Knoxville Technology Council; Oak Ridge (TN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-site fitness facilities

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Health and wellness programs

Job summary

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) seeks a Materials Characterization Laboratory Technical Professional in the Applied Materials Analysis Group within the Nuclear Nonproliferation Division. The role maintains specialized equipment, coordinates vendor support, and ensures high operability in a large shared lab.

You will manage inventory, documentation, and day-to-day operations, becoming a SME for several instruments.

Qualifications

• BS degree in chemistry, physics, materials science, engineering, geochemistry/geoscience, or another instrumentation-intensive scientific discipline.
• 1-2 years of lab experience in academic research or similar environment.
• Familiarity with complex scientific instrumentation and general lab operations.
• Experience following SOPs and lab safety practices.
• Ability to manage shifting priorities in a dynamic research environment.

Responsibilities

• Maintain operational readiness of a shared interdisciplinary laboratory and ensure instruments are ready to use.
• Manage laboratory inventory including chemicals, gases, samples, spare parts, and radioactive materials per DOE rules.
• Organize incoming research materials and samples.
• Maintain equipment logs, SOPs, and lab documentation.
• Support SOPs, ES&H, chemical hazard tracking, and lab safety requirements.
• Assist with waste handling and hazardous materials management.
• Assist scientists with experimental setup, sample prep, measurements, and data recording.
• Record and organize experimental data and observations accurately.
• Provide technical support across multiple scientific disciplines.
• Contribute to technical reports, journal articles, and presentations.
• Troubleshoot routine lab and instrumentation issues and escalate complex problems.

Skills

Communication skills

Laboratory operations

SOP compliance

Troubleshooting

Independent work

Education

BS degree in chemistry, physics, materials science, engineering, geochemistry/geoscience, or instrumentation-intensive field

Tools

Instrumentation familiarity

Job description

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) seeks a Materials Characterization Laboratory Technical Professional in the Applied Materials Analysis Group within the Nuclear Nonproliferation Division. The role maintains specialized equipment, coordinates vendor support, and ensures high operability in a large shared lab.

You will manage inventory, documentation, and day-to-day operations, becoming a SME for several instruments.