Research Associate - Chemical Engineering

Job Posting Title:

Research Associate, McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering

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Hiring Department:

McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

May 31, 2025

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until May 31, 2028

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Location:

PICKLE RESEARCH CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

This is a grant-funded position with an expected end date of May 31, 2028. Continuation of the role is contingent upon ongoing grant funding. The position is PI-eligible, and as such the individual in this position will have the opportunity to apply for grant funding independently and/or in collaboration with Professor Hildebrandt Ruiz.

As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders.

At UT Austin, we say “What starts here changes the world.”  As a member of the university community, you will be part of an organization that is internationally recognized for our academic programs and research. Your work will have meaning and make a difference not only in the lives of our faculty, staff, and students, but also those who are impacted by our first class academic and research programs.

UT Austin provides outstanding employee benefits and total rewards packages that include:

• Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)

• Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options

• Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays

• Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with 7.75% employer matching funds

• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b)

• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses

• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional conference opportunities

• Tuition assistance

• Expansive employee discount program including athletic tickets

• Free access to UT Austin's libraries and museums with staff ID card

• Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Austin Cap Metro buses with staff ID card

Purpose

A Research Associate position is available in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, supervised by Professor Lea Hildebrandt Ruiz.  This position will include work on a variety of air quality measurement studies in the laboratory and in the field and will also include project management and mentorship opportunities and responsibilities, as described in more detail below.

Responsibilities

• Ambient measurements (requires travel): Conduct ambient measurement campaigns utilizing stationary and mobile measurement platforms (requires Texas driver’s license), in collaboration with other team members and collaborators. Take a leading role in coordinating measurement plans and other project activities, including analysis of data. Total travel depends on project details; we estimate approximately 2 weeks of travel every 2-3 months.

• Communication: Prepare scientific papers and reports; present scientific results to collaborators and sponsors, and at major conferences. Communicate results to non-technical audiences in industry, government, and the public.

• Laboratory chamber experiments: Conduct laboratory chamber experiments in collaboration with other team members and collaborators. Take a leading role in planning experiments and analysis of data.

• Project Management: Propose, plan, schedule, coordinate, complete and report the detailed phases of parts of ongoing projects in the group; devise new approaches to problems encountered. Lead and manage projects involving multiple universities and outside organizations to ensure deadlines and deliverables are completed on schedule.

• Mentorship: Mentor students, post-doctoral scholars, and other personnel on projects by training them, organizing and conducting regular meetings, and tracking progress throughout the duration of the project.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or closely related discipline.

• Proficiency in using advanced mass spectrometric instrumentation, including chemical ionization mass spectrometers or aerosol mass spectrometers, or closely related instrumentation

• Proficiency in quantitative analyses utilizing mass spectrometric instrumentation

• Proficiency in Igor Pro and mass spectrometric data analysis using this software

• Ability to communicate research in writing and orally to broad audiences

• Ability to obtain UT Austin driver status, which requires a Texas driver’s license (needed to conduct mobile measurements)

Preferred Qualifications

• Postdoctoral research experience

• Mentoring experience

• Fieldwork experience

• Demonstrated experience in statistical modeling, data analysis, and scientific programming languages (Python, Matlab, or R)

• Familiar with geographical information systems like ArcGIS

Driving Required

This job requires a class "C" operator's driver's license. The applicant selected must provide a current three-year driving record from the current state of residence. If not currently a Texas resident, a Texas driver's license must be obtained within 30 days of becoming a Texas resident. Employees who are required to have a CDL are subject to drug and alcohol testing (pre-employment, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, random, return-to-duty, and follow-up drug and alcohol testing).

Salary Range

$80,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions

Physical Tasks

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

• Use of manual dexterity

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new resume for subsequent applications. Any additional required materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left-hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.