RESEARCH SCIENTIST / ENGINEER 1

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. 

The Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington (APL/UW) is a premier center for research, development and advanced education in science and engineering.  APL/UW was formed in 1943 at the request of the U.S. Navy to bring university resources to bear on urgent WWII defense problems. From a wartime beginning focused on effective torpedo exploders, APL/UW initiated acoustic studies and oceanographic research programs to understand how variations in the ocean environment affected the performance of Navy systems. Decades of acoustic and oceanographic studies yielded an understanding of the world's deep oceans. 

Today our scientists and engineers make important contributions to understanding the earth's climate cycles with satellite and in situ sensing of ocean winds, currents, and air-sea fluxes; observations of Arctic sea ice, its variations and effects on mid-latitude oceans; and ocean tomography that reveals how the abyssal ocean mixes and sequesters carbon. APL-UW continues to lead research in the basic and applied physics of sound—from sonars used to probe the geology of the deep ocean floor to hand-held high-frequency focused ultrasound devices to image and stop internal bleeding without surgery.

APL has an outstanding full time opportunity for a Research Scientist/Engineer 1. This recruitment is open to UW Office of Research employees only.

This position will support multiple projects using ultrasound for treatment of different pathologies. Initial projects will involve the use of focused ultrasound to noninvasively fragment kidney stones and other calcifications in the body:

(1) For one project, the main focus will be to develop an office-based, handheld ultrasound device to target, detach, break, and expel stones and stone fragments from the urinary space to facilitate natural clearance. The project involves experiments to determine ultrasound parameters for therapy, develop a system for clinical use, and clinical testing of the safety and efficacy of the procedure.

(2) A second project will involve using ultrasound technology to fragment other calcifications in the body such as vascular calcifications with ultrasound.  This project will demonstrate the feasibility of this use for the technology through benchtop experiments and develop models for further preclinical testing and refinement of a procedure.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position’s duties include conducting basic scientific experiments to support the development of new ultrasound technologies. These activities include designing and testing new tissue models, in vitro measurement of ultrasound exposures, acoustic and optical techniques to characterize ultrasound wave propagation, and benchtop testing of new ultrasound transducers and ultrasound exposures for effectiveness in fragmenting calcifications. The position will further include testing experimental therapy devices for clinical trials. The position will require analysis of collected data including signal processing of ultrasound pressure measurements for calibration, image and video analysis of benchtop experiments, and processing raw ultrasound imaging data. The position will involve summarizing experiments and data into reports and presentations to supervisors.  The position will further involve maintenance and calibration of scientific equipment including hydrophones, water treatment systems, cameras and optical equipment, and fabrication equipment such as 3d printers.

REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor’s Degree in Scientific or engineering related field with strong physics foundation plus 1 year of experience to include:

- Working knowledge in physical acoustics and medical ultrasound.

- Experience with high-speed photography.

- Familiarity with operation of Verasonics Research Imaging Platform and other ultrasound imaging systems.

- Experience in calibration of therapeutic ultrasound transducers.

- Experience with 3D printing and rapid prototyping of experimental components.  - - - Experience with solid modeling software such as SolidWorks and numerical computing software such as MATLAB. 

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

DESIRED:

- Experience in research on focused ultrasound, burst wave lithotripsy, and/or shock wave lithotripsy is preferred

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

May be subject to successful completion of E-Verify process.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.