Research Engineer - Vancouver, Canada - UBC

Description

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Job Profile

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Department

Compensation Range

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date

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

Job End Date

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.

Job Description Summary

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.

The Engineer will be part of a group of engineers 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 for the CRN. The job will involve working with the group to set, define and develop experimental goals, design manufacturing processes, oversee experiments to identify deviations from expected results, analyze and interpret data, and write reports and present outcomes.

Organizational Status

The position reports to the Director, Dr. Anoush Poursartip.

Work Performed

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.

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. Designs and assemble experimental prototype apparatuses using detailed designs and specifications developed through experiments. Analyzes experiment data, evaluate technology and design alternatives, and communicate results with industry partners, and translate outcomes into Knowledge in Practice Documents for the CRN.

The Engineer will be involved in a number of projects simultaneously, and synthesize and analyze the data from these projects into Knowledge in Practice Documents. The Engineer will be assigned 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 other members of the CRN, including engineers, research associates, postdoctoral fellows and students. Responsible for reviewing the experimental data and determine their validity thereof.

Actively contribute to progress review meetings by providing insights and input, and prepare technical presentations or papers at national and international conferences.

The Engineer will supervise undergraduate and graduate students, technicians and co-op students 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

May provide guidance and direction to students in carrying out experiments or constructing equipment.

Minimum Qualifications

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

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

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.

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.

Proven ability to communicate technical results and analysis in oral and written form is required.

Strong problem-solving abilities, and dedication to accuracy and attention to detail.

Working knowledge and experience in project management. Demonstrated experience working on industrially applied projects.

Ability to train and supervise other research assistants, staff and students.

Ability to multitask and prioritize work to meet deadlines.

Ability to compile literature data, design experiments and analyze experimental data.