Technical Support Specialist - School of Computer Science and College of Engineering - Robotics Innovation Center

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

26d•Onsite

About The Position

Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Innovation Center (RIC) is seeking a Technical Support Specialist to operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and provide user support for its special-purpose research spaces. These include motion capture systems, drone research facilities, a wet laboratory, and water tank testing environments. The role provides direct technical support to faculty, researchers, students, and project teams, helping ensure reliable operation of critical research infrastructure and experimental equipment. The specialist also supports general RIC building operations. The successful candidate will use a broad range of technical troubleshooting skills and customer-service abilities to support robotics, autonomy, aerial systems, and aquatic research activities. The position helps maintain operational readiness and supports safe, efficient execution of research programs and activities.

Requirements

Associate's or bachelor's degree in Robotics, Engineering Technology, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical field.
Experience supporting research, laboratory, testing, or technical facilities.
Experience troubleshooting hardware, software, networking, and instrumentation systems.
Strong hands-on technical troubleshooting skills.
Ability to work independently while supporting multiple research groups and projects.
Strong organizational and communication skills.
A combination of education and proven experience demonstrating comparable knowledge may be considered.
Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Nice To Haves

Experience with motion capture systems such as Vicon, OptiTrack, Qualisys, or similar platforms.
Experience supporting UAV or drone research environments.
Knowledge of robotics platforms, sensors, embedded systems, and data acquisition systems.
Experience with laboratory operations and safety protocols.
Familiarity with Linux, ROS/ROS2, networking, and research computing environments.
Experience supporting aquatic robotics testing facilities.
Ability to quickly learn new systems and technologies.

Responsibilities

Provide daily operational support for optical motion capture systems and associated hardware and software.
Calibrate, configure, and maintain motion capture cameras, markers, tracking systems, and data acquisition equipment.
Troubleshoot motion capture hardware, software, networking, and synchronization issues.
Assist researchers with experiment setup, data collection, and system optimization.
Monitor system performance and coordinate preventative maintenance activities.
Maintain documentation, procedures, and user guides for motion capture facilities.
Support motion capture systems used for UAV and aerial robotics testing.
Configure and validate tracking performance within drone flight test environments.
Assist researchers and project teams with flight-test preparation and operational activities.
Verify system accuracy and coordinate-frame alignment, and support integration with flight-control and navigation systems.
Support safe operation of drone testing facilities and ensure compliance with established safety procedures.
Troubleshoot communication, telemetry, tracking, and network-related issues associated with aerial robotics research.
Provide technical support for robotics-related wet laboratory operations and equipment.
Assist users with laboratory setup, instrumentation, and experimental configurations.
Monitor laboratory equipment functionality and coordinate repairs and maintenance as needed.
Maintain laboratory inventory, supplies, and consumables.
Ensure compliance with laboratory safety procedures, chemical handling requirements, and environmental regulations.
Support facility readiness for research projects and educational activities.
Support operation and maintenance of water tank testing facilities used for robotics and autonomy research.
Assist researchers with underwater, aquatic, and marine robot experimentation.
Set up and maintain instrumentation, sensors, cameras, networking equipment, and data acquisition systems.
Respond to user support requests and provide timely resolution of technical issues.
Coordinate facility scheduling and ensure readiness for research testing activities.
Maintain equipment inventories, asset records, and maintenance logs.
Coordinate with engineering, IT, facilities, vendors, and external service providers.
Develop and maintain standard operating procedures and technical documentation.
Support research demonstrations, outreach events, and facility tours.
Recommend improvements to facility infrastructure, reliability, and operational efficiency.
Track project use of laboratories for billing purposes.
Assist with general building operations as assigned.