What are the responsibilities and job description for the Laboratory Assistant position at Vanderbilt University?
Position Summary: The Lab Assistant - Environmental Engineering provides operational and educational support in the laboratory, ensuring laboratory compliance and safety, facilitates equipment and facilities functioning, and assists with laboratory classes and individual student training, project planning and execution.
About the Work Unit: Vanderbilt’s Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) department vision is to be one of the foremost Civil and Environmental Engineering programs in effecting tangible change to resolve problems of critical importance to humanity in the built environment and the natural world through inspired teaching, research, and service, and maintains a culture of leadership within an educational setting that values research innovation and impact. CEE prepares students to be leaders in Civil and Environmental Engineering in an era of rapid evolution of the profession, to perform innovative basic and applied research that will meet critical challenges in infrastructure and natural resources and provides service to institutions and government agencies that assist in resolving societal problems.
Key Functions and Expected Performance:
• Support educational mission of the Department (30%)
o Assist faculty with preparation and execution of undergraduate and graduate laboratory classes. This will include setting up experiments, demonstrations and carrying out analysis in support of instruction o Assists faculty with student training, project planning and execution
o Responsible for operation, standard methods, standard operating procedures development (including documentation), usage and maintenance logs, of general laboratory equipment (e.g., balances, pipettes, pH meters, and water purification systems) and selected analytical instrumentation (as delegated); facilitate maintenance and calibration of instrumentation
• Maintain safety and regulatory compliance for the Environmental Engineering Laboratory (30%)
o Support on-going safety culture in the Environmental Engineering Laboratory, including maintaining situational awareness as a critical component of a safety culture. Develop and maintain written safety policies and procedures documents for laboratory
o Ensure and document safety and regulatory compliance in laboratory practices; perform safety evaluation of laboratories; maintain chemical inventories, material safety data sheets, chemical hygiene plans and procedures for extremely hazardous materials; liaison for VEHS inspections; coordinate waste disposal
o Carry out safety reviews of experiments and lab operations with class instructors and new researchers (e.g., students, post-docs, visiting researchers) and for new procedures before they are initiated. Document safety reviews o Request online safety training assignments; maintain training compliance records, document, communicate and update safety policies and guidelines
• Environmental Engineering Laboratory Administration (30%)
o Provide effective operation of the Environmental Engineering laboratory by initiating changes or development of new policies, procedures, or methods
o Specifying and purchasing supplies according to VU policies; maintain liaison with VU procurement and suppliers; expedite purchases; maintain supplies utilization and cost records; provide budgetary input for lab-related expenditures
o Assist faculty and staff in assessing appropriate configuration and compatibility of existing systems with new equipment and computers
o Coordinate purchase and installation of teaching and scientific equipment as requested, with price quotes and cost comparisons; maintain capital equipment inventory; support annual capital equipment inventory audit for the Environmental Engineering Laboratory and verify information records
o Reports laboratory facilities issues to the Building Manager and expedite resolution (e.g., air flow, door lock issues, and other facility maintenance issues)
o Maintain organization in shared supplies and user spaces; assist with laboratory organization
o Resolve organizational issues and/or carry out disposal of legacy equipment, samples and materials
• Additional duties as assigned (10%)
Supervisory Relationships: This position does not have supervisory responsibility. This position reports functionally and administratively to the Environmental Lab Manager
Education and Certifications:
• High School Degree minimum: Bachelor’s in chemistry, environmental science, chemical or environmental engineering, or Environmental Engineering technology or related field, preferred
• Associate degree with a minimum of 2 years of experience
• Individuals in this role must maintain all training certifications necessary and deemed appropriate for the position
Experience and Skills:
• Minimum 2-years of laboratory operations experience including chemical safety and laboratory compliance is required
• Technical understanding of general chemical laboratory procedures, basic laboratory equipment, Environmental Engineering applications, safety culture and compliance requirements is required.
• Analytical and quantitative skills with attention to detail are necessary
• Proficiency in Microsoft Powerpoint, Word and Excel is necessary
• Good written and oral communication skills are necessary
• Good interpersonal skills are necessary
• Commitment to on-going learning and continuous improvement necessary
About the Work Unit: Vanderbilt’s Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) department vision is to be one of the foremost Civil and Environmental Engineering programs in effecting tangible change to resolve problems of critical importance to humanity in the built environment and the natural world through inspired teaching, research, and service, and maintains a culture of leadership within an educational setting that values research innovation and impact. CEE prepares students to be leaders in Civil and Environmental Engineering in an era of rapid evolution of the profession, to perform innovative basic and applied research that will meet critical challenges in infrastructure and natural resources and provides service to institutions and government agencies that assist in resolving societal problems.
Key Functions and Expected Performance:
• Support educational mission of the Department (30%)
o Assist faculty with preparation and execution of undergraduate and graduate laboratory classes. This will include setting up experiments, demonstrations and carrying out analysis in support of instruction o Assists faculty with student training, project planning and execution
o Responsible for operation, standard methods, standard operating procedures development (including documentation), usage and maintenance logs, of general laboratory equipment (e.g., balances, pipettes, pH meters, and water purification systems) and selected analytical instrumentation (as delegated); facilitate maintenance and calibration of instrumentation
• Maintain safety and regulatory compliance for the Environmental Engineering Laboratory (30%)
o Support on-going safety culture in the Environmental Engineering Laboratory, including maintaining situational awareness as a critical component of a safety culture. Develop and maintain written safety policies and procedures documents for laboratory
o Ensure and document safety and regulatory compliance in laboratory practices; perform safety evaluation of laboratories; maintain chemical inventories, material safety data sheets, chemical hygiene plans and procedures for extremely hazardous materials; liaison for VEHS inspections; coordinate waste disposal
o Carry out safety reviews of experiments and lab operations with class instructors and new researchers (e.g., students, post-docs, visiting researchers) and for new procedures before they are initiated. Document safety reviews o Request online safety training assignments; maintain training compliance records, document, communicate and update safety policies and guidelines
• Environmental Engineering Laboratory Administration (30%)
o Provide effective operation of the Environmental Engineering laboratory by initiating changes or development of new policies, procedures, or methods
o Specifying and purchasing supplies according to VU policies; maintain liaison with VU procurement and suppliers; expedite purchases; maintain supplies utilization and cost records; provide budgetary input for lab-related expenditures
o Assist faculty and staff in assessing appropriate configuration and compatibility of existing systems with new equipment and computers
o Coordinate purchase and installation of teaching and scientific equipment as requested, with price quotes and cost comparisons; maintain capital equipment inventory; support annual capital equipment inventory audit for the Environmental Engineering Laboratory and verify information records
o Reports laboratory facilities issues to the Building Manager and expedite resolution (e.g., air flow, door lock issues, and other facility maintenance issues)
o Maintain organization in shared supplies and user spaces; assist with laboratory organization
o Resolve organizational issues and/or carry out disposal of legacy equipment, samples and materials
• Additional duties as assigned (10%)
Supervisory Relationships: This position does not have supervisory responsibility. This position reports functionally and administratively to the Environmental Lab Manager
Education and Certifications:
• High School Degree minimum: Bachelor’s in chemistry, environmental science, chemical or environmental engineering, or Environmental Engineering technology or related field, preferred
• Associate degree with a minimum of 2 years of experience
• Individuals in this role must maintain all training certifications necessary and deemed appropriate for the position
Experience and Skills:
• Minimum 2-years of laboratory operations experience including chemical safety and laboratory compliance is required
• Technical understanding of general chemical laboratory procedures, basic laboratory equipment, Environmental Engineering applications, safety culture and compliance requirements is required.
• Analytical and quantitative skills with attention to detail are necessary
• Proficiency in Microsoft Powerpoint, Word and Excel is necessary
• Good written and oral communication skills are necessary
• Good interpersonal skills are necessary
• Commitment to on-going learning and continuous improvement necessary