Research & Development Engineer I

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

The Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University is one of the fastest rising, highly ranked engineering schools in the nation. The school consists of four departments with 130 tenure-track faculty members, 1250 undergraduate students, 1400 master’s students, and 600 PhD students. Housed within a university renowned for its programs in the liberal arts, medicine, business and law, Pratt prepares future engineering leaders to address complex challenges with solutions that take into account the complexities and nuances of implementing them. Pratt takes a whole-student approach to education, ensuring students are well supported throughout their journeys and graduate with the grit and determination required to persevere in their careers and their lives. Pratt is dedicated to the values of diversity, equitability, inclusivity and community in its pursuit of knowledge and service to society.

Occupational Summary

Operate and maintain laboratories in a diverse team of engineers in the Department of Biomedical Engineering’s educational laboratories. Work will be primarily focused in our rapidly-expanding biotechnology and cell culture laboratories. A secondary focus will be in our quantitative physiology laboratory.

Work Performed

• Work with a diverse team in Biomedical Engineering to run an extensive array of undergraduate laboratory exercises especially in biotechnology, biology, cellular engineering, and physiology.

• Assist senior staff and faculty in the development of new laboratory exercises for new and existing courses. This includes conducting and evaluating prototype labs, and recommending and/or making necessary changes in materials, techniques, or procedures.

• Maintain order in the laboratories by analyzing lab needs, cleaning, sterilizing, organizing, ordering supplies, maintaining buffers and reagents, maintaining cell lines, and mentoring students in good laboratory hygiene.

• Perform microbiological techniques including cell culture (mammalian, bacterial, yeast), phase microscopy, fluorescent microscopy, and transformation and transfection.

• Perform molecular biology techniques including nucleic acid extraction, polymerase chain reaction, gel electrophoresis, and western blotting.

• Operate and maintain laboratory equipment, e.g., flow cytometer, FPLC, Surface Plasmon Resonance, microscopes, gel imagers, plate readers, thermal cyclers, microfermenters, incubators, and others related to microbiology and genomics.

• Perform basic laboratory duties according to established procedures or instructions to design, develop, construct and test laboratory protocols related to biotechnology design projects performed by students.

• Provide assistance, instruction and consultation to faculty, student researchers and to staff members for resolution of technical and administrative problems; demonstrate techniques for operating specialized equipment.

• Instruct and supervise student teaching assistants (TAs), including planning lab coverage and leading preview sessions to prepare TAs in advance of labs with students.

• Attend laboratory sessions for assigned courses, serving as an expert. These sessions often run into the evening, which requires a flexible schedule.

• Create and maintain copies of laboratory exercises in a suitable format for distribution to students.

• Set up and break down of lab and associated apparatus; ensure adequate quality control.

• Perform research activities in support of various courses and related labs; assist with special projects as assigned.  Support budgeting decisions by analyzing pricing and observing trends.

• Ensure compliance with applicable safety and animal welfare requirements in accordance with Duke University Occupational and Environmental Safety Office, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and Division of Laboratory Animal Resources.

• Mentor and advise students on proper, safe use of laboratory instruments and other laboratory-related issues.

• Keep laboratory facilities and procedures up to date and in keeping with the department's strategic planning.

• Assist as needed in all BME teaching laboratories. This work includes euthanasia of frogs, and occasionally dissection of murine and porcine tissue.

Required Qualifications at this Level

Education:

Work requires knowledge of a diverse set of engineering laboratory exercises, techniques, and procedures generally acquired through completion of a bachelor’s degree in biology or biomedical engineering. Due to professional exemption, equivalent experience cannot be substituted for bachelor's degree

Experience:

None required in additional to education requirements

Skills:

• Excellent analytical, organizational, and communications skills are required.

• Wet lab techniques such as aseptic cell/tissue culture are preferred.

• Ability and desire to learn quickly. 

• At least some of the following: Analytical instrumentation for molecular biology. Stress/strain measurements. Rheometric measurements. Basic electrical measurements, use of oscilloscopes and function generators. 

Job Code: 00001817 RESEARCH & DEV ENGINEER I
Job Level: 12

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging.Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feelsecure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.