Research Associate – Hill Lab

Job Category
Faculty Non Bargaining

Job Title
Research Associate – Hill Lab

Department
Hill, Jane | Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering | Faculty of Applied Science (Jane Hill)

Posting End Date
February 15, 2024

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

Job End Date
Dec 31, 2025

The expected pay range for this position is $75,000 to $85,000 per year.

Research Associate – Hill Lab

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver campus, invites applications for a full time Research Associate.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the laboratory Principal Investigator (Dr. Jane Hill), this Research Associate is responsible for managing and executing research and training activities while supervising and co-advising all of Dr. Hill’s staff, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduate researchers. The position provides technical, research and project support and general program management. This position oversees and contributes to original research and analysis that will lead to scholarly publications, research reports and technical presentations, all experimental design and execution of sponsored research projects and reporting to funding agencies.

In addition to technical contributions, this position will collaborate with the department Finance Team to monitor Dr. Hill’s grants which includes daily finances transactions, budgeting, maintaining compliance with both fiscal and time-sensitive deadlines, UBC policies & procedures, and funding agencies guidelines. This position will also assist with other administrative management functions under the supervision of Dr. Hill within her research group.

This position will also serve as liaison between collaborating groups, both internally across several UBC departments, and externally among public and private institutions. This position will oversee progress reports to sponsoring agencies and prepare laboratory research findings for submission to peer-reviewed journals.

This position will also actively seek new collaborations and funding opportunities to continue and expand upon the laboratory research goals.

The appointment will be for one year, renewable, subject to a performance assessment. Commitment of 3-5 years preferred. Review of applications will begin on March 2024. The anticipated start date is Janurary 1, 2025. Salary range is from $75,000 to $85,000 per year.

Only completed applications will be considered. The following documents must be submitted: Applications, including a cover letter stating the research interests, detailed curriculum vitae and the contact information of three potential references must be submitted online through UBC Careers https://hr.ubc.ca/careers-and-job-postings .

Department Specific Job Scope:

Under the directorship of Dr. Hill, the Research Associate works with students, visiting scholars, department faculty, and internal/external collaborating groups in the course of everyday business with the objective of strengthening academic competencies in core chemical engineering areas including novel analytical instrumentation methods and equipment development, biochemical engineering, and chemistry-based experiments that exhibit the application of devices and approaches engineered by Dr. Hill’s lab.

Positions Supervised:

2-3 staff members

3-5 undergraduate researchers

1-2 Master’s students

4-6 PhD students

Co-advise 3-4 postdoctoral fellows alongside Dr. Hill

Essential Responsibilities:

40% LABORATORY & PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

After a period of training, the research associate works in full autonomy in the management of lab operations, resources, equipment & personnel & technical support; oversees organization of lab space & inventory. Ensure complete utilization of resources to support research objectives & maximize the positive outcomes of sponsored activities. Provides valuable experience, training & knowledge to graduate/undergraduate students & staff. Co-advise postdoctoral fellows with PI. Approve standard operating procedures.

Oversee lab compliance with UBC safety requirements (EH&S, OSHA, etc.). Work with graduate students to ensure tasks completion relevant to their thesis. Establish functional organizational structures & work assignments for the lab personnel. Oversee SOP training of lab personnel. Organize & run regular lab meetings. Design R&D operational strategies & streamline procedures. Being the research coordinator to manage protocols for IRB review for human-subject studies and biosafety.

Evaluate, update & document best R&D practices; streamline procedures. Provide professional engineering & chemistry information/advice to lab personnel. Establish/maintain lab relationships with suppliers & vendors. Develop policies, protocols & guidelines on lab safety, security, software/hardware/equipment usage & maintenance, & other operational issues.

40% RESEARCH PROJECT MANAGEMENT & INITIATION

Coordinate with funding partners, international experts, UBC faculty & public/private institutions for multi-year projects & research programs planning. Establish P&P for accountability. Manage lab finances to ensure proper funding allocation; comply with UBC P&P; analyze historical spending & foresight of upcoming ventures. Develop annual budget & forecasts of lab resources & operational needs. Responsible for the purchase of materials & supplies up to $9,999 without PI consultation. Serve as liaison with collaborators & funding agencies for research, training, & program development.

Seek funding & collaboration opportunities to expand & continue overarching lab research aims. Develop & manage grant proposals, budget and budget justification private/public institutions for successful research outcomes. Read, compile, & interpret relevant literature. Attend conferences & remain current on basic & applied research & technological advances. Prepare & present research posters, seminars/talks to scientific groups, especially in environments with new audiences for funding/collaboration opportunities. Present research program results to diverse local, national, international audiences to enhance the lab’s visibility & achieve a greater impact.

Prepare progress reports, detailed technical documentation & manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals. Design & develop research systems & experiments to achieve specific aims as negotiated with funding agencies. Provide support to international scholars to comply with visa requirements.

20% CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING EXPERIMENTATION

Focus on one or two primary projects of your own. Within those, execute analytical chemistry experiments to analyze trace gas compounds, chemical samples &/or biological samples. Construct & test novel systems hardware, circuitry, & other engineering to capture and in some cases detect chemicals. Potentially organize experiments to explore metabolomic biomarkers of disease in both animal & plant systems, especially related to human and animal airway health. Prepare & process samples for chemical analysis. Collect, record, organize, analyze & maintain experimental data. Interpret data analysis results using chemometric techniques (PLS, PLS-DA, PCA, XBG, XBG-DA, ANOVA, SVM, SVM-DA) in consultation with group expertise.

Physical Demands:

- Extended use of a computer

- Standing for multiple hours at a time

- Periodic travel for field testing, meetings and conferences

- Work a flexible schedule to meet project deadlines

- Lift/maneuver up to 30 lbs. of parts or equipment

Minimum Qualifications:

- PhD in STEM discipline plus 5 or more years of experience doing analytical chemistry on

GC-MS and at least 1 year of experience working with a GC×GCtofMS system

- Project management of at least 5 years to ensure that programs, sponsored research,

laboratory infrastructure and systems are developed and implemented in a timely and

successful way

- Successful simultaneous management of multiple high-profile projects

- Demonstrated experience of at least 5 years managing a team of interdisciplinary researchers of a range of skill levels, especially experience in harmonizing their collaboration and to develop their technical expertise

- Analytical skills to evaluate the success of programs, devise program improvements, revise

priorities and/or approaches to accommodate requirements

- Familiarity with a chemical and engineering research laboratory to aide in inventory,

equipment maintenance, infrastructure, and experimental troubleshooting

- Strong organizational and time management skills for themselves and subordinates to execute

multiple simultaneously projects, set priorities, track progress, meet deadlines, performance

targets and program goals

- Previous experience of at least 1 year overseeing the independent completion of grant proposals, especially submission to Federal institutions such as the NSERC, CIHR, NIH, NSF and the USDA

- Financial experience in the preparation of budgets for proposed research and

monitoring/forecasting of existing monetary resources

- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including presentations and public speaking

skills to represent UBC in a professional, confident manner that promotes a positive image for

Dr. Hill’s laboratory

- Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively and sensitively with diverse constituencies in

academic and private industry settings

- Prior experience drafting and overseeing IRB, BUA and RUA protocols

- Ability to maintain highly interdisciplinary, collaborative relationships

- Can design experiments to solve specific research problems/hypotheses, manufacturing or

prototyping experimental tools and devices, designing chemical experiments to benchmark

novel engineering creations, collecting data sets, performing analysis of the results, preparing

graphs, figures and written reports of data

- Contribution to published work of at least 20 articles in the field of analytical chemistry and instrumentation in peer-reviewed, internationally recognized journals

Preferred Qualifications:

- Primary academic and research focus on analytical instrumentation

- Experience developing and maintaining effective collaborative working relationships among

stakeholders and partners in UBC, the non-profit sector, the community, and private industry

- Has supervised researchers from skill levels from undergraduates to postdoctoral researchers

- Knowledge of pertinent issues and trends with award administration and compliance

- Knowledge of metabolomics topics related to biomarker discovery in biomedical, chemical,

and engineering topics

- First-hand experience working with GC×GC tofMS, especially LECO brand, including

instrument maintenance

- Primary academic and research focus on GC-MS analyses

- Experience developing and maintaining effective collaborative working relationships among

stakeholders and partners in UBC, the non-profit sector, and the community

- Experience working in a project-driven, academic environment

Information on the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is available at https://chbe.ubc.ca/.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.