Lab Technician

Overview:
**Term: 2 years**

Velocity is a fast-paced, dynamic organization that trains startup founders to go further, faster. Supported by the University of Waterloo, Velocity works with students, alumni, and startup founders, meeting them at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey and helping them achieve their next milestone. The Laboratory Technician will be primarily responsible for supporting student activities taking place in the Velocity laboratories and spaces. Velocity Science lab - a partnership between Velocity and The Faculty of Science - provides lab space and equipment for aspiring entrepreneurs that require those facilities. This role will ensure they are properly supplied and arranged for student use as well as help maintain a safe and activated environment for student innovation while helping to build an inclusive culture among the community.

**Responsibilities**:
Operations and administration of Velocity Science lab
- Oversee the day-to-day operations of the lab facility on campus
- Ensure that assigned spaces operate effectively in terms of routine adherence to university safety standards and best practices
- Acquiring and maintaining reference material (e.g. SOPs and MSDSs) for laboratory operations
- Ensure safety training records are in place and that students have taken the training for all activities conducted in the space
- Monitor the use of instrumentation and common equipment
- Assign bench space to student teams as appropriate
- Create processes and coordinate the purchase and reception of consumables at Velocity’s spaces across campus
- Support approved student activities within the lab(s) and spaces assigned

Lab technical support
- Support students engaged by providing assessment and monitoring of the technical requirements of their project and providing guidance on how best to access the appropriate expertise and equipment
- Facilitate access to equipment or specialized facilities
- Make recommendations on assays and testing that may need to be outsourced to external facilities and institutions
- Support iGEM teams in their projects and experimental planning

Campus space and community management
- Maintain a calendar of events and activities occurring in Velocity spaces across campus
- Ensure the arrangement of spaces for special events and activities
- Guide student volunteers and casual workers in support of campus spaces
- Assign desk space to student teams as appropriate
- Help maintain a positive inclusive culture in campus spaces
- Ensure spaces remain organized and in an effective condition for use
- Support activities relating to student experiential learning

Qualifications:

- Post-secondary degree in science or engineering
- At least 3 years experience in developing methods with scientific equipment and management of laboratories
- Experience in creating and maintaining an inclusive active community is a major asset
- Experience in managing a laboratory, replenishing supplies and maintaining instrumentation
- Experience working with less students and training them on laboratory techniques and safety
- Experience in risk assessment and risk management in a laboratory
- Experience creating a “safety first” culture
- Laboratory safety training (WHIMS, etc) with additional safety and management certifications as a bonus
- Effective communication skills and attention to detail
- Self-motivated, industrious, resourceful and able to work independently
- Must live in the Kitchener-Waterloo area

Equity Statement:
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.