Part-time Research Technician

About the Opportunity

Job Summary

The Kostas Research Institute (KRI) at Northeastern University (NU) – a rapidly growing institute that conducts cutting-edge applied R&D – is seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic part-time Research Technician with expertise in chemistry or materials science. The Research Technician is expected to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and contribute to the successful execution of R&D projects.

Responsibilities include providing subject matter expertise and proficient execution of laboratory experiments in the preparation and characterization of dynamical optical materials and devices. This position will require the candidate to employ a wide variety of laboratory and data analysis techniques to prepare and characterize combinations of materials tailored toward applications in sensing and information display. Additionally, the candidate will contribute to new and exploratory efforts in formulation and sensor design at KRI, such as the development of bio-inspired materials, electronic display architectures, or paints and coatings. The Research Technician will work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams across the KRI consortium, consisting of academic and industry partners, to create solutions and prototypes for projects in these application areas. The candidate’s contributions will be critical to KRI’s execution of externally-funded research contracts.

Successful candidates should have a strong background in chemistry, materials science/engineering, or a related discipline, with demonstrated experience in executing fundamental laboratory research with consideration of how new discoveries may translate to technology development. The candidate should be enthusiastic about participating in highly collaborative research efforts with chemists, physicists, biologists, and engineers, and will be expected to deliver written and oral reports describing their scientific progress. A close working relationship with and support of KRI R&D Engineers/Scientists for government and industry contracts will be required.

The Kostas Research Institute was founded focusing on homeland security research and development. Today, KRI strives to advance resilience in the face of 21st-century risks across a wide range of technologies, emphasizing a collaborative approach that leverages our R1 university intellectual capital and technologies to develop application-specific solutions to customer needs. KRI focuses on satisfying customer-driven needs by co-locating a diverse, highly skilled R&D team that can address all aspects of a particular problem across the full range of technology-readiness levels. KRI headquarters, located at the NU Innovation Campus in Burlington, MA (ICBM), is home to one-of-a-kind research and test facilities for conducting activities related to cognitive and distributed RF signal processing and machine learning, unmanned and autonomous system technologies, as well as quantum materials and sensing.

This position is with KRI at Northeastern University, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NU. The primary office for this position is located at NU’s ICBM. Through NU, KRI offers an impressive benefits package, including multiple retirement plan options with extremely generous matching, as well as tuition waivers for classes and advanced degree programs. A full description of available benefits can be found on the NU website .

Minimum Qualifications

• Education and Experience: BS degree in chemistry, materials science, or a related field (ex. biology, environmental science) experiments 
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong background and proven track record in chemistry or materials science and familiarity with formulation design, modification, and scale-up
• A basic understanding of characterization techniques including chromatography, UV–Vis spectrophotometry, FTIR spectroscopy, NMR particle size analysis, and optical/electron microscopy
• Experience in data analysis (ex. image analysis) and preparation of tables and graphs describing experimental results
• US Citizenship with the ability to obtain a DoD security clearance.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

• (20-70%) Preparation of color-changing material systems (ex. paints, coatings, sensors, electronic displays)
• (20-70%) Characterization and modification of color-changing material systems (ex. color analysis, durability, sensitivity, etc.)
• (0-30%) Leading exploratory experiments to understand fundamental capabilities and potential applications of new approaches to materials science, analytical chemistry, sensing, or RF engineering
• (0-30%) Contributing to research updates, reports, presentations, etc.         

Position Type

Temporary

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.  

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

This job is for a current or anticipated job vacancy.

Pay Rate: