Lab Instructor

Overview:
The “Lab Instructor - Bioengineering” is a key educator and resource for the undergraduate students in the Biomedical and Systems Design Engineering programs within the Department of Systems Design Engineering. The Lab Instructor - Bioengineering provides instruction, guidance, and technical assistance for courses with labs and for design-project and workshop courses, and is responsible for ensuring safe lab practices are taught and maintained at all times. In particular, the incumbent will be the primary wet-lab instructor in the programs and must be experienced in Biosafety Hazard Level 1 labs at a minimum.

The Lab Instructor - Bioengineering should have comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge of biomedical systems and equipment, chemistry, biochemistry, biomaterials and cell biology, along with other common technical areas underpinning engineering wet-labs. Additionally, knowledge of mechanobiology, human physiology and anatomy, tissue-engineering, biomedical design principles, biomedical imaging, environmental chemistry, sensors, actuators, mechanical components, and fabrication techniques will be considered an asset. The Lab Instructor - Bioengineering is responsible for the operation of several laboratory spaces and acts as the primary manager and mentor to the associated Teaching Assistants.

**Responsibilities**:
Provide instructional support and mentoring to students in Engineering laboratory courses:

- Present theory and concepts to students pertaining to laboratory experiments
- Demonstrate safe laboratory practices and ensure safety protocols are maintained
- Demonstrate all laboratory experiments in assigned Biomedical and Systems Design Engineering courses with labs
- Present and develop information for students concerning laboratory safety
- Prepare and modify laboratory manuals and procedures as needed
- Collaborate with academic counterparts of lab courses to synchronize the presentation of material
- Enrich the student experience of the lab component through the development of multi-media instructional aids such as videos, demonstrations, web content, etc.
- Resolve student/lab issues such as attendance and special situations

Management of the teaching assistants:

- Manage laboratory teaching assistants with regard to lab schedules and procedures
- Train teaching assistants in the safe and proper usage of lab equipment and software
- Participate in the selection of teaching assistants and in their performance evaluations
- Assume an active leadership role in the mentorship and development of teaching assistants

Management of Bioengineering undergraduate labs:

- Prepare and maintain lab experiments and equipment for scheduled lab times
- Lead in and provide assistance in the design, development and fabrication of complex laboratory experiments
- Participate in keeping the labs and experiments current with new technology
- Responsible for setup and maintenance of equipment per manufacturers’ design specifications
- Maintain lab spaces in accordance with University health and safety standards
- Maintain current First Aid certification and act as first point of contact for incidents

Provide mentoring and technical support to students in design project and workshop courses:

- Participate as a technical consultant for students taking design courses distributed throughout the entire undergraduate program
- Participate as a supervisor/advisor for student design projects as time permits
- Resolve unstructured technical problems
- Ensure that safe practices are followed in the engineering workshops and labs
- Demonstrate the proper use of lab and workshop equipment and tools
- Manage and track departmental funds used to supplement student design project costs

Other duties include, but are not limited to:

- Participates in special projects (e.g. curriculum development, faculty-wide initiatives, special reports, etc.) as assigned by the Lab Director or Program Director
- The incumbent will be required to serve on committees pertaining to lab and workshop outcomes, safety, departmental staffing, student experience reviews, and others as the need arises
- Occasionally technical staff are required to move equipment and furniture as well as set up displays and help with outreach events

Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering or equivalent
- Eligibility for licensure as a Professional Engineer is an asset
- Valid First-Aid certification is an asset
- 2 years of experience in running labs, giving tutorials/lectures and demonstrations, writing and updating lab manuals, developing new labs, marking reports and evaluating technical presentations
- Experience in Biosafety Hazard Level 1 laboratories
- Experience monitoring and enforcement of safety standards in labs or in an academic environment is required
- Demonstrated experience in safe handling of biological materials and chemical substances and performing chemistry and biology la