Position Overview
The Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Kansas seeks a Laboratory Program Director to support faculty in all Mechanical Engineering laboratories, in collaboration with other staff, including but not limited to materials testing and experimental measurements laboratories, student research laboratories, and laboratories affiliated with cornerstone (freshman) and capstone (senior) projects. Specific job responsibilities include: 1) Assist faculty members with teaching of laboratory courses in Mechanical Engineering. 2) Purchase, maintain, and calibrate equipment for all Mechanical Engineering teaching labs, including integrating computer data acquisition and control systems with test equipment under the direction of the Department Chair. 3) Conduct the departmental inventory and space control assessment under the supervision and direction of the Department Chair. Due to federal funding and guidelines for the research and laboratories that this position will have access and be responsible for, the successful candidate must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or possess an equivalent status that permits work with federally funded projects pertaining to confidential and sensitive information.

Job Description

50% - Coordinate Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Lab Activities

• Coordinate undergraduate mechanical engineering teaching laboratory activities under the supervision of a faculty member.
• Assist faculty members in teaching and/or training of graduate teaching assistants for instruction of laboratory courses as needed.
• Assist faculty members in setting up and dismantling hardware for both required and elective mechanical engineering laboratory courses.
• Assist faculty members and graduate teaching assistants who teach mechanical engineering courses with in-lecture demonstrations.
• Assist faculty in developing multimedia and technology resources for undergraduate laboratory courses and demonstration experiments such as but not limited to collection of data from remotely-located experiments and analysis of the data in classroom settings.
• Assist students and faculty advisors in the operation of experiments, devices, and prototypes in cornerstone (freshman) and capstone (senior) design courses.

20% - Manage Department Laboratory Resources

• Manage department technical laboratory staff and department teaching laboratory resources under the direction of the Department Chair.
• Train mechanical engineering staff persons or students on the use of equipment.
• Assist faculty members in the training of Graduate Teaching and Research Assistants.
• Collaborate with the departmental accountant to track teaching laboratory expenses.
• Order, install, and troubleshoot new and/or existing teaching laboratory equipment under the direction of the Department Chair.
• Coordinate access to and documentation of department resources and utilization through an online system.

10% - Student Researcher Laboratory Support

• Assist student researchers in trouble-shooting equipment in research laboratories under the direction of the laboratory principal investigators.

10% - Faculty Laboratory Support

• Assist faculty members and the department staff in the setup, maintenance, and renovation of departmental laboratory spaces under the direction of the Department Chair.

10% - Other duties as Assigned

• Other duties and projects assigned by the Department Chair.

Position Requirements

• Candidate must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or possess an equivalent status that permits work with federally funded projects pertaining to confidential and sensitive information.

Required Qualifications

1. Master's degree in mechanical engineering or closely related field AND 3 years' relevant experience directly related to the job description.
2. Three (3) years' experience in use of a programming language, such as but not limited to: MATLAB, C++ as demonstrated in application materials.
3. Three (3) years' experience in data collection and analysis as evidenced in application materials.
4. Three (3) years of experience in specifying and using instrumentation involving mechanical systems, electro-mechanical systems, and/or thermal-mechanical systems.
5. Demonstrated experience communicating effectively as evidenced in application materials.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related field and 3 years of relevant experience directly related to the job description.
2. Five (5) years' experience programming with MATLAB.
3. Five (5) years' experience programming with LabView.
4. Training & certification from National Instruments, as evidenced by application materials.
5. Two (2) years' experience in a research environment.
6. Two (2) years' experience managing other employees.
7. Three (3) years' experience using additive manufacturing hardware and software.

Contact Information to Applicants
Dr. Lisa Friis
lfriis@ku.edu
Additional Candidate Instruction
A complete online application consists of:

1. Resume
2. Cover letter describing how the required and preferred qualifications are met
3. Three professional references and their contact information

Only complete applications will be considered.
Application review begins March 6, 2025 and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants is received.

#LI-HR1

Advertised Salary Range
$70,000; commensurate with experience
Application Review Begins
06-Mar-2025
Anticipated Start Date
24-Mar-2025
Primary Campus
University of Kansas Lawrence Campus
FTE
1.0
Reg/Temp
Regular
FLSA Status
Executive
Employee Class
U-Unclassified Professional Staff
Work Location Assignment
On-Site
Disclaimer
The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and is the Title IX coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY.