Staff Microscopist - Office of Research Innovation and Economic Development - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

18h•Onsite

About The Position

This position reports to the Electron Microscopy Facility Manager of the Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing. This position assists the facility manager in the education, training, and supervision of the faculty, staff, students and external users of the electron microscopy instruments and ancillary equipment. The staff microscopist will be the point of contact for users accessing the transmission electron microscopes within the facility. This microscopist will provide expertise with aberration-corrected and monochromated transmission electron microscopy, as well as conventional and advanced electron microscopy techniques such as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, selected area and convergent beam electron diffraction. To a lesser extent, the microscopist will also support scanning electron microscopy and focused ion-beam activities which contribute to materials science studies conducted within the Institute.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Materials Science or related field.
At least three (3) years’ experience in a multi-user electron microscopy based facility
In depth knowledge of conventional and advanced electron microscopy techniques used with a wide variety of sample types and fields of research as applied to TEM, SEM, and FIB
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Ability to support and interact with large numbers of users having significant differences in microscopy experience, skills and needs
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Nice To Haves

Doctoral degree in Materials Science or related field.
At least five (5) years’ experience using advanced microscopy techniques in a multi-user electron microscopy facility
Experience using scanned probes (atomic force microscopy, nanoindentation)

Responsibilities

Trains facility users one-on-one at two transmission electron microscopes (TEM). Certifies users for unsupervised access to instruments and ancillary equipment
Trains facility users one-on-one at three scanning electron microscopes (SEM) and focused ion-beam (FIB) systems
Supports and advocates the safety program and protocols adopted by the facility. Assists in the safety training of users and their compliance with safety programs.
Mentors undergraduate students, graduate students and post-docs in underlying theory and best-practices required for proper acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of scientific data acquired using facility instruments, including the limitations of the techniques being used.
Oversees user operations to ensure instruments are used safely, effectively, and that best-practice microscopy techniques are being followed
Where appropriate, collaborates with users on data generation and interpretation, grant applications, and research publications
Perform regular and necessary maintenance, performance testing and calibrations of facility instruments; coordinate and oversee instrument maintenance and repair by vendor field service engineers
Participate in in IAMM Microscopy Facility hosted events, including regional professional society meetings, tours of the Facility, and topical workshops
Other duties as assigned.