Institute of Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

BIOENERGY RESEARCH LAB COORDINATOR

The Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment, http://sustainability.illinois.edu/, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is seeking a BIOENERGY RESEARCH LAB COORDINATOR who can manage and supervise multiple research themes in the laboratory for Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), a multi-million dollar Bioenergy Research Center funded by DOE. More on http://sustainability.illinois.edu/doe-funds-major-bioenergy-research-center-at-illinois/

Major Duties& Responsibilities:

• Manage and maintain common laboratory space, equipment, and equipment scheduling, including quality standards, developing operations, quality, and troubleshooting procedures.
• Ensure staff compliance; certify instrument performance; arrange equipment replacement, service, and repair.
• Provide technical guidance to laboratory personnel in growth of microbes, PCR, culture maintenance, optimizing protocols, using growth chambers, and all aspects of plant biology, crop science, biosystems design, and chemical and bioengineering.
• Maintain laboratory productivity by monitoring workload of functional areas; identify peak and slack periods; make operational or staffing adjustments as necessary.
• Maintain laboratory information system by identifying information needs and problems; recommending improvements; establishing priorities; testing; writing user manuals; training employees; maintaining security and confidentiality.
• Train laboratory personnel in the use of specialized laboratory equipment, in lab safety requirements and good laboratory practice.
• Supervise undergraduate student employees including task assignments, scheduling, mentoring, and time sheet approvals.
• Maintain a preventative maintenance schedule for common equipment as needed and assist the CABBI team members in the maintenance of individual equipment.
• Maintain an accurate equipment and chemical inventory for each separate research group in CABBI and ensure regulatory safety compliance is met, permits for controlled materials are in place, biohazards and chemicals are disposed properly.
• Order lab supplies, and new equipment, including setting up purchase orders, and reconciling p-card transactions properly.

Position Requirements and Qualifications:

Education –

Required: Bachelor’s degree in microbiology, biology, biochemistry or chemistry. Alternate degree fields will be considered / accepted if accompanied by equivalent experience, depending on nature and depth of experience as it relates to this position.

Preferred: Master’s degree in micriobiology, biology, biochemistry, or chemistry.

Experience –

Required: Minimum of one year experience in a similar position.

Preferred: Three or more years of experience in common microbiological and molecular biological techniques; experience in chemical synthesis and separation methods; experience in genomic techniques; supervisory experience.

Knowledge –

Required: Advanced knowledge in laboratory management including problem solving. Strong working knowledge and/or familiarity with microbiological, molecular biological, and genomic techniques. Knowledge of and/or familiarity with chemical synthesis and separation methods. Effective communication, personal relations, organizational, and team leadership skills. Demonstrated ability to perform with a professional demeanor in a diverse and fast-paced work environment consisting of multiple and changing priorities, under minimal supervision. Attention to detail. Proficiency in commonly-employed software.

Proposed start date: As soon as possible.

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Appointment Status: Full-time academic professional appointment. Qualified individuals will be eligible to receive vacation, sick, and personal leave; retirement through the State Universities Retirement System; and group health, dental, vision and life insurance.

To apply: For full consideration, applications must be received by November 30, 2017. Search will remain open until qualified candidate is identified. Interviews may be conducted prior to search closing date, but hiring decision will not be made until after the closing date. To apply, submit an online profile through https://jobs.illinois.edu, and upload a letter that details qualifications noted above, CV/Resume and the names and contact information of three professional references. All requested information must be submitted for your application to be considered. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

For further information please contact Erica Hanson, HR Associate, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, at elhanson@illinois.edu.

The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer.

The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO. To learn more about the University’s commitment to diversity, please visit http://www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu