Instructional Lab Specialist

Department: Provost & Sr. VP for Academic Affairs

Summary

At Michigan Technological University, the Chemistry Instructional Lab Specialist manages and oversees undergraduate chemistry laboratory (UCL) courses and the department’s summer youth program (SYP). The Specialist is responsible for organizing and developing course content, supervising and training teaching assistants, and ensuring the safe and efficient operation of instructional laboratories and SYP. Responsibilities include developing and preparing instructional materials, maintaining equipment and supplies, coordinating instruction activities, assessing student learning outcomes, and fostering a culture of safety and continuous improvement. The coordinator plays a key role in leading high-quality laboratory education and outreach within the Department of Chemistry.

Responsibilities And Essential Duties

• Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work. Provide leadership to foster a culture of safety; promote safety through actions, communication, and training.
• Coordinate the university chemistry laboratory (UCL) courses.
• Coordinate chemistry summer youth program (SYP).
• Supervise, coordinate, train, and evaluate Teaching Assistants (TAs) and other associated personnel for UCL and SYP.
• Develop, improve, prepare, and provide all instructional materials for TAs, students and other associated personnel for UCL and SYP.
• Order, prepare, and maintain inventory of all materials including chemicals, supplies, instruments, and instruction materials for UCL and SYP.
• Prepare TAs to teach by providing guidance and training.
• Hold regular meetings with TAs to discuss pedagogy, safety, equipment use, laboratory preparation and clean-up, grading, etc.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of UCL and SYP.
• Be present/available during scheduled laboratory sessions to assist, troubleshoot, monitor safety, and occasionally cover teaching for TAs.
• Maintain office hours to meet with students and TAs.
• Maintain laboratory records, incident reports, student grades, TA assessments, etc.
• Evaluate TAs and provide feedback on teaching effectiveness.
• Develop/improve procedures and policies for equipment, safety, laboratories, training, etc.
• In collaboration with the departmental Undergraduate Programs Committee, assess student learning outcomes and Essential Education.
• Develop, teach, and ensure compliance with safety rules and best practices for students, TAs, and other personnel, including proper equipment use, chemical handling, good laboratory housekeeping, and general lab safety.
• Anticipate, recognize, and respond appropriately to potential and actual unsafe situations. Initiate accident/incident investigation process.
• Commit to learning about continuous improvement strategies and applying them to everyday work. Actively engage in University continuous improvement initiatives.
  
  

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures

• BS or equivalent degrees in chemistry or closely related fields.
  
  

Required Experience

• One year of teaching and prep or two years of teaching experience for chemistry or related laboratory courses at the university-level.
  
  

Desirable Education and/or Experience

• MS or PhD equivalent degrees in chemistry or closely related fields.
• Experience in managing chemistry or related laboratory courses for one year or more.
• Experience managing people.
• Experience developing laboratory curriculum.
  
  

Required Knowledge, Skills, And/or Abilities

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills appropriate for students.
• Knowledge in chemical safety principles and practices.
• Demonstrated ability to work safely with hazardous materials.
• Demonstrated ability to organize, plan, and prioritize.
• Demonstrated commitment to contribute to a safe work environment.
  
  

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, And/or Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries and work harmoniously with diverse groups of students, faculty, and staff.
• Experience providing hands-on training, evaluating, and providing feedback related to teaching.
• Success in, or potential future contributions to, working with persons from diverse backgrounds, creating a sense of belonging, and fostering a fair, objective, welcoming place to work for persons with a wide variety of personal characteristics and viewpoints.
• Ability to remain patient during difficult situations.
• Experience in utilizing continuous improvement strategies.
• Experience training individuals on using laboratory equipment.
• Experience maintaining laboratory equipment.
• Experience managing teams.
  
  

Work Environment and/or Physical Demands

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.

Required Training And Other Conditions Of Employment

Every employee at Michigan Technological University will receive the following four required trainings; additional training may be required by the department.

Required University Training

• Employee Safety Overview
• Anti-Harassment, Discrimination, Retaliation Training
• Annual Data Security Training
• Annual Title IX Training
  
  

Background Check

Offers of employment are contingent upon and not considered finalized until the required background check has been performed and the results received and assessed.

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) % (1=100%)

1

FLSA Status

Exempt

Appointment Term

12 months

Shift

Pay Rate/Salary

Salary Is Commensurate With Experience And Qualifications.

Title of Position Supervisor

Department Chair

Posting Type

Internal & External

Dependent on Funding

No

Additional Information

https://www.mtu.edu/chemistry/ https://www.mtu.edu/syp/

Contact: pcharles@mtu.edu

Application Materials

Cover letter

Statement of teaching philosophy (1 page maximum)

Resume

Names of three referees

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

If you require any auxiliary aids, services, or accommodations during Michigan Tech’s hiring process please notify the Human Resources office at 906-487-2280 or hr-help@mtu.edu.

Other Conditions Of Employment

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of your appointment, and maintain eligibility without sponsorship throughout your appointment.

Michigan Technological University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Equal Opportunity Employer that provides equal opportunity for all, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. Michigan Tech will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the Michigan Tech Public Safety.

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures* (minimum requirements)