Physics Instructional Laboratories Teaching Support Specialist

University of Chicago•Austin, TX

1d•$70,000 - $80,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Teaching Support Specialist works alongside a team of professional staff within the Department of Physics to maintain, operate, and improve instructional laboratory spaces and experiments, and to train graduate laboratory tutors to work safely and teach effectively. The Teaching Support Specialist provides instructional support for students in the advanced undergraduate physics lab courses and offers mentorship and support to students on special projects. The Teaching Support Specialist contributes to and implements improvements for teaching laboratories, including designing and improving lecture demonstrations and developing laboratory manuals.

Requirements

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice To Haves

MA/MS or PhD in Physics or related field.
Experience teaching, tutoring, or mentoring, especially in a university setting.
Experience in a research or teaching laboratory, especially in a university setting.
Experience supervising and training student employees.
Experience working safely in a lab environment, including experience with high voltage, lasers, chemicals, and radioactive sources.
Passion for teaching and a desire to develop skills in experimental physics education.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Excellent time management and the ability to handle multiple simultaneous projects.
Demonstrated resourcefulness and initiative in seeking out necessary information.
Ability and desire to work both independently and collaboratively.
Physics Education Research (PER) strategies, including active learning techniques, introductory or advanced lab pedagogy, inclusive teaching, AI-use in the classroom, and assessment.
Apparatus fabrication and design, including the use of hand tools and power tools, machine shop tools, computer aided design (CAD), 3D printing, and laser cutting.
Software and computer databases, including computer programming (e.g. Python, C/C++, Jupyter/Google CoLab), version control (e.g. Git, GitHub), web development, and content management systems.
Electronics, including circuit design and prototyping, soldering and fabrication, printed circuit board (PCB) design, and programmable microcontrollers (e.g. Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Red Pitaya, FPGA).
Troubleshooting and repair, including common laboratory equipment (e.g. multimeters, power supplies, function generators, oscilloscopes), lasers and optics, and complex apparatus.
Digital content creation, including website design, video production and editing, and written scientific communication.
Specialized research techniques, including video data analysis, vacuum systems or cryogenics, computational physics, and other skills related to analyzing complex physical phenomena.

Responsibilities

Performs weekly setup and preparation of all instructional labs throughout each academic quarter and maintains lab spaces.
Assists in course logistics, including monitoring assignment grading and assigning laboratory experiments.
Collaborates with the staff to ensure that all apparatus used in the physics instructional lab courses are repaired and maintained in good working conditions.
Collaborates with the staff to design, build, and implement new scientific apparatus for use in the physics instructional labs.
Monitors the building environment and takes measures to ensure that problems are addressed, either through direct action or by contacting specialists.
Assists with lecture demonstrations as needed.
Serves as instructional support for students in the advanced undergraduate physics lab courses.
Assists students with experimental techniques, data processing, and reporting.
Trains graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants to operate equipment and teach effectively in the physics instructional labs.
Creates and maintains instructional material for student use in the instructional labs including lab manuals, supplemental course materials, and other digital resources.
Collaborates with the staff and course instructors to develop and implement new scientific pedagogy for use in the physics instructional labs.
Stays up to date with the latest developments in physics education research through attending relevant conferences, reviewing literature, and participating in campus and departmental pedagogy workshops.
Provides support for a wide variety of public outreach programs and summer courses.
Prepares and tests lecture demonstrations to ensure consistency with course content.
Works with faculty or staff to determine the suitability of demonstrations for specific lectures.
Informs faculty of new demonstration developments and materials.
Acts as a resource for and instructs faculty on the proper usage of technical scientific apparatus.
Uses best practices and laboratory knowledge to promote safety in handling hazardous equipment and materials.
Performs other related work as needed.