Associate Project Scientist - Environmental Analytical Laboratory

The Environmental Analytical Laboratory (EAL) is one of the core facilities under management of the Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED). It houses major instrumentation and provides expertise and training to faculty, students, and researchers for the analysis of a wide variety of physical and biological environmental media. Current instrumentation includes: ICP-OES (PerkinElmer Avio 550), ICP-MS (Agilent 7500cs), Discrete Chemistry Analyzer (AMS/Alliance Smartchem 450), TOC/TN (Shimadzu TOC-LCSN with TNM-L), microwave digestion (Titan MPS), CVAFS for analysis of mercury and methylmercury in liquid samples (Brooks-Rand MERX-T and MERX-M), and a direct mercury analyzer (Milestone DMA 80). The facility offers users reliable, well-maintained instrumentation access and timely service through technical expertise and comprehensive user training in support of multidisciplinary research and education programs. Potential growth areas include phytoplankton pigment analysis to support water monitoring efforts related to harmful algal blooms and new analytical capabilities and methods related to agricultural research.
The Associate Project Scientist’s role is to: A) Provide support to research, education, and outreach activities associated with the EAL through its daily operation, management, and instrument maintenance; B) Strive to develop a financially sustainable and cost-efficient model by expanding the user base, balancing expenses with recharge revenue, and contributing to proposals for extramural funding; C) Provide administrative leadership for all laboratory operations, including budgeting, training, safety, and regulatory requirements. Typical duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Oversee daily operation. Work closely with diverse user groups by providing technical expertise, supervision of instruments and users, and immediate follow-up to ensure smooth data collection and high-quality data throughput.
• Ensure that facility instruments are well-maintained and operating to specification by performing periodic maintenance, trouble-shooting, and prompt repair with minimal downtime.
• Provide comprehensive user training by developing a suite of documentation, including instrument standard operation procedures (SOPs), method SOPs, guidelines of sampling, sample storage and preparation, and data QA/QC procedures.
• Maintain operation efficiency by timely tracking of budget, expenses, inventory, instrument usage, recharge billing, and general laboratory administration.
• Ensure that all laboratory safety requirements and protocols are met, maintain the EAL's chemical inventory and record-keeping, and provide necessary files and documentation for regulatory agencies.
• Support courses relevant to the EAL by working with faculty to prepare demonstrations, lectures, teaching aids, and tours; deliver occasional short courses or training sessions on topics related to areas of expertise.
• Respond to state/federal regulatory agencies, external groups, and industry organizations on issues related to areas of expertise.
• Contribute to proposals for extramural and internal funding to expand the facility capacity, replace instrumentation, increase the user base and recharge revenues, and develop new types of analytical capabilities.
• Develop collaborative and individual research associated with the EAL, and publish results of research (or other creative activity) independently or in collaboration with faculty, students, and other research personnel.
• Support outreach events associated with the EAL to promote its mission.
• Participate in activities of committees within the department, college, campus and other university entities as appropriate to the research activities performed.