Senior Research Technician, Step 1

UAH College of Business; Alabama; On-site; USD 50,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The Research Institute in Alabama is seeking an engineering specialist to provide measurement science expertise, instrument selection, and experimental design to support sponsored research programs.

You will develop and evaluate measurement and data-acquisition techniques, including thermal, optical, and high-speed systems, and collaborate with teams to reduce risk and improve data quality.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree or 2 years of college with 2–4 years related experience in instrumentation or data acquisition.
• Coursework in Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace Engineering or Physics.
• Ability to apply engineering principles to design, setup, operation, and analysis of experimental measurement systems.
• Experience with calibration, noise analysis, and performance characterization.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with scientists, engineers, students, and other research personnel to support experimental design, instrumentation selection, test execution, data analysis, and continued development of Research Institute measurement capabilities.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate experimental measurement and data acquisition systems supporting Research Institute-sponsored research, including thermal, optical, material-response, circuit/signal, and high-speed measurement applications.
• Design, select, integrate, and operate instrumentation and experimental systems, including sensors, data-acquisition equipment, signal conditioning, high-speed imaging, and specialized triggering systems.
• Plan and support laboratory and field experiments, including test setup, instrumentation, calibration, data collection, troubleshooting, noise analysis, and performance characterization to ensure reliable and accurate research data.
• Develop and evaluate new or customized measurement and instrumentation solutions to address unique research requirements, improve experimental capabilities, and reduce technical risk prior to field testing.

Skills

Instrumentation

Data acquisition

Experimental testing

Engineering research

Calibration

Education

Associate's degree or 2 years of college

Coursework in Electrical/Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering or Physics

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Sensors

Data-acquisition systems

Signal conditioning

High-speed imaging

Job description

Purpose Of The Position

This position provides engineering expertise in measurement science, instrumentation, and experimental design in support of Research Institute-sponsored research programs.

The position will develop, implement, and evaluate measurement and data-acquisition techniques, including thermal, optical, material-response, circuit/signal, and high-speed measurement systems.

Responsibilities include selecting and integrating instrumentation, designing custom measurement and triggering solutions, troubleshooting experimental systems, and conducting calibration, noise analysis, and performance characterization.

The position will support laboratory and field testing by developing and validating experimental configurations prior to deployment, helping reduce technical risk and improve the quality and reliability of research data.

The incumbent will also collaborate with research teams to develop new and innovative instrumentation and measurement approaches to meet emerging research requirements.

Duties / Responsibilities

Collaborate with scientists, engineers, students, and other research personnel to support experimental design, instrumentation selection, test execution, data analysis, and continued development of Research Institute measurement capabilities.

Develop, implement, and evaluate experimental measurement and data acquisition systems supporting Research Institute-sponsored research, including thermal, optical, material-response, circuit/signal, and high-speed measurement applications.

Design, select, integrate, and operate instrumentation and experimental systems, including sensors, data-acquisition equipment, signal conditioning, high-speed imaging, and specialized triggering systems.

Plan and support laboratory and field experiments, including test setup, instrumentation, calibration, data collection, troubleshooting, noise analysis, and performance characterization to ensure reliable and accurate research data.

Develop and evaluate new or customized measurement and instrumentation solutions to address unique research requirements, improve experimental capabilities, and reduce technical risk prior to field testing.

Minimum Requirements

Associate's degree or 2 years of college and 24 -48 months (2 to 4 years) of full-time work experience (2-3 years of experience in instrumentation, experimental testing, data acquisition, or engineering research)

Coursework in Electrical, Mechanical, or Aerospace Engineering or Physics

Ability to apply engineering principles to the design, setup, operation, and analysis of experimental measurement systems

Desired Qualifications

Experience with data-acquisition systems, oscilloscopes, sensors, signal conditioning, circuit and signal analysis, thermal measurements, strain gauges/load cells, optical instrumentation, and high-speed imaging or triggering systems is preferred.

Experience developing custom instrumentation, electronics, or specialized circuits and integrating sensors and instrumentation into experimental systems is highly desirable

Published Salary (if Available)

50,000 - 55,000

Advertised

Sep 17 2026 Central Daylight Time

Job no: 504417

Department: Research Institute

Work type: Staff Full-time Non-Exempt

Location: Alabama

Categories: Research - Engineering