Experimental Officer GCARE

About the role

The post holder will be responsible to support the operation, development and management of the GCARE’s Air Quality Laboratory (AQL; https://www.surrey.ac.uk/global-centre-clean-air-research/air-quality-lab) and ensure its safe and efficient running. The post holder will provide specialist technical advice and support to academic staff, postgraduate and undergraduate students and researchers within the department as well as supporting the development and maintenance of AQL instrumentation. The post holder will provide AQL instrumentation support for the day-to day running of the GCARE’s research projects, including preparation experimental set-up for field work, help running field campaigns, data extraction from equipment and its systematic archiving. The post-holder will also be responsible for maintaining and logging activities of all the specialised equipment; liaising with external suppliers, writing/updating safety documentation and negotiating service contracts as needed. The post holder will actively participate in the research activities of the academic/research staff, taught and research students and will be expected to contribute to the research output/proposals of the GCARE’s AQL.

You will have a basic knowledge of electronics and high standard of skills and good practical experience in related areas to support the experimental work and system administration. You will be able to work effectively both in small research teams and independently. Experience of laboratory work and data acquisition and analysis will be an advantage.

 Some of the key responsibilities include:

• Supporting the innovation and development of new experimental set-ups and designs such as experimental rigs (e.g., emission testing chambers, low-cost sensor kits, sensor testing chamber, filter testing rig, tyre-wear measurement rig) & new relevant proposals to sustain the flow of regular funding for the upkeep of existing equipment, preparing project reports, procuring new equipment and covering part of post-holders’ time.
• Perform tasks such as electronics work (e.g. building sensor setups), mechanical work (e.g. building field work setups), chemical work (e.g., calibration gases, filter extraction etc.) as well as produce specialist computer software needed for data collection from existing or new field and laboratory experiments.
• Take responsibility for management, storage, backup and systematic archiving of measurement data acquired in the field or in the lab including using appropriate IT systems such as databases & servers.
• Participate in field campaigns and lab experiments and support research staff and students in carrying out their field and lab experiments. Working outdoor, indoor and at heights should be expected as part of the job along with travelling for shorter periods (up to two weeks) to support field campaigns the UK or overseas.
• Manage, operate, maintain and update the air quality monitoring instruments in the laboratory and in the field as required, including ensuring routine calibration and maintenance of instruments.
• This also includes coordination and prioritisation of field campaigns to ensure the fair and equitable use of the instruments amongst research teams.
• Support selection and purchasing of new instruments & laboratory equipment.

Professional qualification:

• Postgraduate (PhD/Masters) qualification in relevant Specialist area;

AND/OR

• Several years of experience with HNC, A Level, NVQ 3, HND level or equivalent (in instrumentation and or computer E systems);

AND/OR

• Broad vocational experience, acquired through a combination of job-related vocational training and considerable on-the-job experience, demonstrating progressive development through more demanding relevant work/roles

This is a permanent position within the Department.

Informal enquiries should be addressed to:

Professor Prashant Kumar, Director of the Global Centre for Clean Air Research by e-mail:

p.kumar@surrey.ac.uk

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