City : Waterloo, ON

Category : Temporary

Industry : Education

Employer : University of Waterloo

Term: 2 years.

The Lab Development Specialist is accountable to the Lab Director and provides developmental leadership and support for the undergraduate lab courses. The Lab Development Specialist, in conjunction with the Lab Director, develops and ensures that instructional content, design and skill development enhance the learning experience in Physics & Astronomy and MNS labs.
The Lab Development Specialist provides leadership in short term operational planning, including managing laboratory development expenses (with the Administrative Officer), sourcing capital equipment and recommending renovation projects for the teaching labs. The Lab Development Specialist has overall accountability for the design and assembly of lab apparatuses and is required to have a broad knowledge of hardware and software.

Strategic Vision& Development

• In coordination with the Lab Director, builds and implements strategic plans to improve the content and delivery of undergraduate lab courses and learning experience
• Consults with the Lab Manager in the assignment of work activities, projects, monitors work flow and balance, assigns work priorities related to development
• Establishes and tracks short, medium-and long-term milestones to achieve strategic plan goals
• Establishes and monitors the implementation of processes and templates for development of lab courses, including
  • Lab outlines,lab manuals, teaching aids, equipment operation and maintenance information, and lab safety procedures for lab demonstrators and TAs,instruction materials and assessment materials used in teaching
• Researches, proposes and implements changes to evaluation methods that improve efficiency and enhance learning, without sacrificing quality
• Contributes to development or improvement of lab courses through
  • Improvements to existing experiments and development of new experiments for lab courses, ensuring best practices, current innovation and departmental curriculum are incorporated
  • Enhance the student experience of the lab curriculum through the development of multi-media instructional aids
• Writes and presents proposals to raise funds to upgrade and/or purchase equipment for existing and new experiments
• Researches, proposes and implements changes to evaluation methods that improve efficiency and enhance learning, without sacrificing quality

Lab Operations

• Collaborates with faculty and lab instructors to ensure that materials and skill development are properly coordinated
• Ensures the effectiveness and efficiency of course delivery, marking and administration on redeveloped courses
• Coordinates with Teaching Demonstrator on storage and space saving projects
• Aids in the transition to and implementation of new curriculum, and the mentoring of lab demonstrators and instructors in new teaching techniques and materials
• Teaches and demonstrates lab sections as required to support instructor involvement in redevelopment
• Collects and analyzes data to evaluate the effectiveness of new experiments and courses

Administration

• Works with the Lab Director, Lab Manager and Administrative Officer to develop yearly operating budget for lab development
• Oversees the procurement of instructional supplies and equipment for undergraduate labs including the preparation of WatSEF (Waterloo Science Endowment Foundation) funding proposals
• Works with the Associate Chair and Lab Manager to schedule labs and instructors

• PhD in Physics or related discipline, or a MSc degree with five or more years’ experience teaching undergraduate labs
• At least 3 years experience demonstrating undergraduate lab courses in physics or a related discipline
• Experience with Physics undergraduate lab operations, including equipment procurement
• Experience delivering physics lectures to undergraduates at different levels (first year and upper year)
• Experience mentoring and supervising undergraduate and graduate students
• Experience in project management, coordinating diverse groups of people, and ensuring consensus can be reached and deadlines met
• Experience developing and executing an annual budget
• Preferred experience in literature review, conference attendance, or original Physics education research
  Ability to develop instructional materials
• Advanced knowledge of experimental physics at the undergraduate level
• Knowledge of physics education research
• Ability to motivate others, and to facilitate and settle highly sensitive matters
• Aptitude for teaching and an interest in working with undergraduate students
• Skilled with repair and maintenance of physics lab equipment
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and management skills
• Ability to construct and execute an annual budget
• Proficient in productivity software
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple, complex tasks simultaneously

The University of Waterloo is committed to implementing the Calls to Action framed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion.  As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca  or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.