Under direction of the Laboratory Manager, the Research Instrument Technician will maintain, calibrate, troubleshoot, and service instruments in the Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology and the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes laboratory spaces. Specific functions include training laboratory members in proper use of instruments, scheduling instrument use, troubleshooting problems, doing preventative maintenance, managing instrument-related waste and instrument-use safety, and being responsible for good operation of instruments in the laboratory. This will be an excellent opportunity for a person who loves to tinker with electronics and hydraulics to prepare for a career as a technical service representative or to grow within the university setting, which provides educational benefits for the employee and family members.

Essential Duties

• Assist with installation and training of newly acquired instruments.
• Train general users of instruments in proper usage of instrument.
• Minimize downtime on instruments.
• Keep instrument areas organized and clear of debris.
• Manage the reservation calendar for instrument use.
• Calibrate instruments, as necessary.
• Maintain, troubleshoot, and repair instruments as needed.
• Contact instrument vendors for specialized service, when necessary.
• Track problems and repairs for instruments.
• Assist with method development in order to insure optimal operating conditions of the instrument.
• Manage hazardous waste generation of instruments by tagging out waste containers and scheduling pick up by ASU’s Hazardous Waste Management team as needed.
• Respond to chemical spills as related to instrument use.
• Carry out tasks assigned by the Laboratory Manager.

Desired Qualifications

• Ability to operate, or willingness to learn to operate instruments that may include: Gas Chromatography (GC), High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Ion Chromatography (IC), UV Spectrophotometers, Anaerobic Glove Box, Centrifuges, qPCRs, Microscopes, pH probes, and other routine laboratory equipment.
• Ability to troubleshoot problems and work with service companies to primarily maintain fleet of instruments in house, including making basic repairs as needed.
• Understanding of calibration curves and testing equipment.
• Ability to communicate with Laboratory Manager, instrument users, service companies and building facilities as needed.

Working Environment

The research instrument technician’s activities are generally performed in an environmentally controlled laboratory setting. The technician may be periodically required to stand and walk to other areas of the Biodesign Institute, ISTB5, and surrounding buildings on the Tempe campus. The tasks require frequent bending, reaching, lifting, pushing, and pulling up to 25 pounds.  The technician commonly uses a telephone, computer, printer, and various instruments in the laboratory. The Research Instrument Technician reports directly to the Center’s Laboratory Manager.

About Us

For the sixth year in a row, ASU has been named the most innovative school in the nation, recognizing the university's culture of groundbreaking research and partnerships, as well as its commitment to helping students thrive in college and beyond. U.S. News and World Report has named ASU as the most innovative university all five years the category has existed.

ASU Knowledge Enterprise advances research, innovation, strategic partnerships, entrepreneurship, and international development. Our success arises from solutions-focused, interdisciplinary research; an entrepreneurial approach that is embedded in every school and department; and a commitment to transform society in a positive way. http://research.asu.edu/

The Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology aims to be the world’s leading center for environmental biotechnology.  We are achieving this by producing fundamental and applied outputs that expand the horizon of environmental biotechnology.  Our outputs include scientific concepts, technologies, and field-leading people.  Taken together, they improve a broad range of human-generated and natural environments, inform the human-environment relationship, and promote a more sustainable future. The Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology manages microbial communities that provide services to society. Most of the services make our society more environmentally sustainable: e.g., generating renewable energy, and making polluted water and soil clean.  The microbial services also make humans healthier – directly and indirectly.

The Biodesign Center for Health through Microbiomes performs research into the microbiome, a crucial bridge between our food, our environment, and our health, will revolutionize medicine. Building capacity and expertise in microbiome research, with strong clinical and industrial collaboration, will allow us to influence conditions involving nutrition and gut-brain connections.