Laboratory Technician

The Biology Laboratory Technician is responsible for the operation and function of the Biology laboratories, facilities, and equipment. Oversees safety in the lab and field and ensures that all of the labs, facilities, and instruments are properly repaired and maintained.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Performs routine repair, calibration, and maintenance on standard equipment such as electronic balances, pH meters, pipettors, spectrophotometers, gel doc systems, plate readers, and centrifuges.
• Performs minor repairs, adjustments, and replacement of bulbs and fuses on microscopes.
• Replacement of electrical cords and plugs and other minor electrical repairs on equipment.
• Participates in professional development opportunities, including training for care and maintenance of new and existing instrumentation.
• Trains faculty and students in the use of laboratory instruments, and aids in the implementation of new techniques in research and teaching laboratories.
• Repairs and calibrates, or arranges for these services, of other department equipment, such as the scintillation counter, miscellaneous spectrophotometers, glass washer repairs, refrigerators, freezers, ovens, autoclaves, Biopacs, bomb calorimeter, large centrifuges, incubators, gel docs, thermal cyclers, etc.
• Arranges for service contracts or repair of instruments such as electron microscopes, confocal microscope, and HPLC and Mass Spectrometer systems.
• Helps to manage the facilities of the Biology Department: teaching labs, research 10 labs, prep rooms and storerooms, technical and equipment rooms, including the aquarium room, animal suite, greenhouse, electron microscope facility, and imaging room.
• Helps to manage the Biology Department’s supply, repair, automotive, rental, miscellaneous and equipment budget lines; uses computer software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Workday and Concur in order to properly manage these budgets.
• Purchases supplies, chemicals, specimens, and equipment for these areas; contacts and meets with vendors and negotiates prices of supplies and equipment. Manages databases of chemicals and equipment.
• Coordinates with the Building Manager on various maintenance, repair, and other needs in the labs.
• Trains lab assistants in safety regulations and monitors compliance with safety regulations in the labs; manages the collection and disposition of hazardous waste from the labs; writes safety protocols.
• Researches and implements the introduction of new computers/software and equipment in the labs.

  Special Conditions of Employment:

Effective June 1, 2023, based on CDC guidance, the University strongly encourages all campus members to stay up to date with Influenza and COVID-19 vaccination recommendations.  For more regarding information USD's COVID-19 protocols, please visit sandiego.edu/onward.

Background check:  Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes.