Research and Development Engineer jobs in Oakland, CA

UC San Diego is a student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented public institution, recognized as one of the top 15 research universities worldwide. The University fosters a culture of collaboration that sparks innovative discoveries that advance society and drive economic impact. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Chem/Biochem) is one of the largest and most complex departments on campus. Our department combines research on the most consequential and revelatory scientific areas with education aimed at building our future leaders and scientists.

Chem/Biochem strives to be a top-ranked and recognized leader in the chemical and biochemical sciences through transformative research and impactful educational programs. We are committed to excellence in teaching and mentoring excellence and supporting students and postdoctoral researchers in safe and inclusive environments as they prepare to become leaders in science and society. We value collegiality, equity and diversity with the Department, and promote a culture of collaboration and transparency. We aim to enhance our impact in local and global communities through partnerships with other educators, industry, government and professional societies.

Chemistry and Biochemistry is one of the largest and most complex departments on campus. The department's organization is divided among three major academic sections each with its own leadership (Section Chair and Vice Chair) representation under the Department Chair: Physical, Analytical & Environmental (PAE); Biochemistry & Biophysics (BB); and finally Synthesis, Materials and Chemical Biology (SMCB). The department is comprised of 73 ladder rank faculty, an additional 15 in various instructional titles, and ~150 in academic research titles and postdoctoral scholars. The department is comprised of 100 career staff; ~60 temporary or student staff, and 400 Master's and Ph.D. students. There are 1,700 undergraduate students enrolling in 5 majors with total annual course enrollments exceeding 27,000. Chem/Biochem manages $30 million annually in extramural funding and approximately $63 million in total annual expenditures. The Department occupies space in 7 buildings, totaling 237,000 ASF, including class laboratories and instructional support space, research labs, and recharge facilities.

Additional information can be found on our webpage at

The MRSEC Materials Characterization Facility (MCF) is a user facility that is run under the umbrella of the UC San Diego Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (UCSD MRSEC) and managed out of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. The MCF serves researchers from physical sciences, biological sciences, and engineering at UCSD, and a large collection of outside users from industry, national labs, and other academic institutions. The equipment, capabilities, and services of the MCF are responsive to needs of the MRSEC researchers who focus on problems in soft and condensed matter. In the most recent reporting period, Aug 2022 to Aug 2023, the Facilities housed 27 instruments, supported 143 internal users and 46 external users for a total of 4893 user hours, received $136k annual revenue from external users, and acquired $200k in additional equipment.

Reporting to the MRSEC Director, the position is responsible for administrative, laboratory, management, and day-to-day operations of the main research facilities of the UCSD MRSEC. The incumbent will be the main point of contact for the MRSEC Materials Characterization Facility, and will interact with people both within and outside the facility. In this role, incumbent will maintain the facility instruments and train students, trainees, researchers, and outside collaborators on their use, independently analyze research results, and be able to trouble shoot experimental failures. Incumbent will use professional engineering and concepts to perform moderately complex engineering assignments. Training activities include traditional 1-on-1 instruction of users and also the organization and content creation for training seminars and workshops for larger audiences. Incumbent will independently design ways for the instruments to be deployed to answer the materials science research questions from users, and will suggest new experiments that can address new research problems. This position will interact professionally with faculty, postdoctoral scholars, students, collaborators, visiting scholars, research technicians, and staff from around campus and from outside industry.

Instruments in the facility are listed at: https://mrsec.ucsd.edu/materials-characterization-facility/ . Incumbent will be responsible for loading software updates, trouble-shooting equipment failures and repairs, and facilitating repairs by vendors. This person will work closely with EH&S to ensure the lab is following proper protocols, staying current with changing university protocols and with relevant safety issues. Incumbent will work with the MRSEC Administrative Manager and the university personnel to ensure that billings and purchases are properly processed in a timely fashion, that meeting arrangements are made on time, and that instrument repairs or laboratory upgrades proceed smoothly.

Incumbent will participate in MRSEC RIMSE Summer Workshops, including organizing group activities, designing and ordering materials and supplies, and preparing the lab prepared for an influx of ~80 workshop participants. Incumbent also acts as a mentor to some of the new students in the workshop.

In addition to assisting others with MCF use, incumbent will perform their own research projects under the direction of the MRSEC Director. The incumbent will design experiments, synthesize, and analyze the results, optimize experiments, and record and describe results in a form suitable for publication in scientific journals or presentation in grant applications.

• Must be willing to work with hazardous chemicals and materials.

• Working knowledge of engineering principles and methods in order to independently perform professional engineering design work of limited scope and complexity. Extensive experience in the use of the facility instruments and ability to train and assist others in their use, listed at . Proven ability to adept and combine facility instruments to create innovative solutions to user problems.

• Working knowledge necessary to begin independent application of principles, practices and procedures in the completion of assignments. Demonstrated ability to independently participate in the execution of research projects or portions of such projects, through the planning, organizing and performing of experiments and selecting of data for analysis.

• Organizational abilities and decision-making to prioritize work assignments. Skill to organize time, set priorities, meet established deadlines, and recognize new problems with constantly changing priorities and frequent interruptions.

• Effective written and verbal communication skills. Strong interpersonal skills to develop and maintain effective working relationships with students, faculty, staff, users, and vendors. Ability to communicate effectively one-on-one or in group settings, taking into account differences in social, cultural, professional, and educational backgrounds.

• Ability to work in a collaborative manner, to assist in identifying any challenges or barriers. Demonstrated experience in maintaining instrumentation and interacting with equipment vendors and service personnel.

• Extensive research experience with chemistry, electrochemistry, electrosynthesis, and photophysics of nanophase semiconductors, with emphasis on nanomaterials, polymers, photonic crystals, nanoparticles, molecular sensors, and biomaterials

• Demonstrated experience in performing synthetic reactions within a chemical fume hood, safe handling of hydrofluoric acid and other chemical hazards.

• Demonstrated experience in inorganic materials chemistry.

• Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of synthesis, purification, and characterization of inorganic compounds (in particular, nanomaterials) acquired through a Bachelors and/or Masters degree in chemistry, materials science, engineering, or a related field, or a combination of education and relevant lab experience.

• Demonstrated ability to develop, follow and trouble-shoot established lab protocols and lab procedures with limited direction from PI.

• Demonstrated experience independently writing manuscripts based on research projects, including excellent scientific writing & presentation development skills for presenting data to a formal audience.

• Experience working with summer research programs aimed at High School and College level students. Proven ability to be a patient instructor for users at all experience levels.

• Skill, knowledge, and ability with Windows OS and a variety of standard business software including system and networking software, Microsoft Office suite (word, excel, power point), email, and a variety of web-based programs, browsers, and the campus Link family of applications. Willingness and ability to update and increase skills as needed.

• Ability to develop organization of the research work environment of schedules, reagents, and data. Skill to use independent judgment and to make decisions and solve complex problems.

• Knowledge of necessary lab safety procedures and requirements, as well as chemical disposal guidelines. Knowledge of lab environmental, health, and safety regulations and familiarity with campus safety procedures. Knowledge/understanding and at least some experience with Safety Data Sheets, hazard communication and Injury and Illness Prevention Program. Familiarity with a Chemical Hygiene Plan addressing safety precautions including appropriate clothing and shoes, safe handling of chemicals, use of protective items. Willingness and ability to keep safety training current and consistent with research involvement.

• Skill in accurate record keeping and ability to reconcile accounting.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality of matters related to work.

• Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance based on Background Check results.

If employed by the University of California, you will be required to comply with our Policy on Vaccination Programs, which may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

To foster the best possible working and learning environment, UC San Diego strives to cultivate a rich and diverse environment, inclusive and supportive of all students, faculty, staff and visitors. For more information, please visit .

UC San Diego is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.

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