Part-time Technical Support Specialist
About The Position
Brandeis University is hiring a part-time, half-time (0.5 FTE) Technical Support Specialist to expand the capabilities of the Brandeis Light Microscopy Core Facility. The role primarily provides assisted-use imaging for external academic and industry users and Brandeis researchers. Under the direction of the facility manager, the specialist operates microscopy instruments, supports and trains users at basic to intermediate levels, and performs routine maintenance and quality control. Facility instruments include widefield, confocal, spinning disk, 2-photon, STED super-resolution, and light-sheet microscopes. The specialist also supports daily facility administration, including user booking accounts, training requests, usage records, operational spreadsheets, and reports. The position participates in workshops, outreach, and professional development activities to help keep the facility rigorous, reproducible, and responsive to its growing user base. It is a part-time position working 17.5 hours per week. The stated salary range is $32,000–$40,000 for half-time.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM research field.
- Solid theoretical and practical knowledge of light microscopy, including widefield and confocal imaging.
- Familiarity with biological sample preparation, image-acquisition strategies, and image-analysis software such as ImageJ/Fiji.
- Strong communication, teaching, and interpersonal skills, with a service-oriented mindset.
- Strong problem-solving and organizational skills.
- Attention to research ethics and data integrity.
- Ability to support many concurrent projects for a diverse academic and industry user base.
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree.
- Experience with at least one advanced microscopy modality, such as super-resolution, light-sheet, or 2-photon.
Responsibilities
- Perform assisted-use imaging for external academic and industry users and Brandeis researchers, including sample handling, image acquisition, first-pass image processing, and organized, documented data delivery.
- Keep records of work performed for each project and provide timely, high-quality results.
- Consult with, train, and provide technical support to facility users in light-microscopy techniques.
- Demonstrate standard operating procedures in accordance with facility guidelines and assist users with image acquisition and introductory image-processing and analysis workflows, such as ImageJ/Fiji.
- Perform routine maintenance, quality-control checks, and performance assessments on facility instruments.
- Troubleshoot equipment problems; coordinate with instrument manufacturers and service engineers on support and repairs, escalating issues to the facility manager as needed.
- Help maintain standard operating procedures that support data quality, rigor, and reproducibility.
- May supervise student workers performing routine maintenance and facility tasks, including assigning and checking work and training them on procedures.
- Manage user booking accounts, process training requests, maintain usage and training records, and update operational spreadsheets and periodic reports.
- Help ensure staff and users follow laboratory health, safety, and risk-assessment protocols.
- Participate in professional-development activities, technical workshops, and imaging-network events.
- Support outreach, facility tours, and workshops for academic and industry users, and cross-train with the facility manager.
