| Classification Title: |
OPS Research Assistant
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| Classification Minimum Requirements: |
Bachelor's degree in materials science, chemistry, biomedical/biological sciences, mechanical engineering, or related field; or equivalent lab experience.
Must have strong organization and documentation skills; ability to follow/write SOPs; proficiency with Excel/Sheets. Be able to perform mathematical calculations using algebra and practically apply percentages, fractions, and ratios. Ability to speak and understand English language, follow instructions exactly, and record information accurately. Comfort training novice users and figure prep publications/sponsor reports.
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| Job Description: |
- Manager Tasks -
- Maintain instrument uptime (preventive maintenance, PM logs, service tickets, vendor coordination); manage parts and consumables.
- Oversee chemical inventory in GatorTRACS; SDS library; waste pickups; compressed gas and hazardous materials handling.
- Prepare for and respond to EHS inspections; maintain SOPs, safety trainings/records, eyewash/shower checks, and incident logs.
- Manage space readiness: cleanliness, order, labeling, and shared toolkits; coordinate facility access and keys/badges.
- Support billing workflows (usage verification, internal/external invoices), and usage policy enforcement.
- Technician Tasks (A): Users Training, Experiments Oversee, & Billing -
- Onboard and train students, faculty, and new staff members on instruments, SOPs, and safety; refreshers and check-offs.
- Confirm scheduled equipment usage in advance; ensure users log hours/consumables accurately; follow up on missing logs.
- Oversee sensitive/long-running tests to prevent stalls, protect samples/equipment, and avoid interference.
- Help develop short how-to guides and videos; maintain the center website scheduling/best-practices pages. biomaterials.dental.ufl.edu
- Technician Tasks (B): Bench Experiments -
- Execute and assist direct supervisors with standardized dental materials tests (SOPs/ISO/ADA-aligned), produce clean datasets and draft figures/tables for reports, including but not limited to:
- Molecular/Analytical: UV-Vis, FT-IR, Raman, and NMR.
- Chemical: Degree of conversion & Kinetics of Conversion (FT-IR/Raman), depth of cure, water sorption and solubility, thermocycling and water storage aging.
- Optical/Physical: Light-curing unit characterization (spectral analysis; beam profiling); staining, color stability and color analyses; radiopacity, gloss and roughness.
- Mechanical: microhardness (Knoop/Vickers), bond strength, compressive/flexural strengths, two- and three-body wear/abrasion tests, fatigue tests, polymerization shrinkage and polymerization shrinkage stress tests.
- Biological: Microleakage; cytotoxicity and genotoxicity tests; and basic microbiology/cell biology support for relevant assays.
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| Expected Salary: |
$16.76 - $28.25 per hour; commensurate with qualifications and experience (OPS Research Assistant I/II).
Benefits:
The University of Florida offers low-cost State Health plans, a number of Dental plans to fit you and your family's needs, and Vision. Build your retirement with the FICA Alternative Plan and a host of voluntary add-ons, such as 457 deferred compensation and 403(b) plans. Optional insurance plans such as life, disability, legal, and accident insurance are also available.
UF Employees are also eligible for the GatorPerks discount program, which provides big savings at various businesses and retailers!
Explore UF's benefit options here: OPS Benefits
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| Required Qualifications: |
Bachelor's degree in materials science, chemistry, biomedical/biological sciences, mechanical engineering, or related field; or equivalent lab experience.
Must have strong organization and documentation skills; ability to follow/write SOPs; proficiency with Excel/Sheets. Be able to perform mathematical calculations using algebra and practically apply percentages, fractions, and ratios. Ability to speak and understand English language, follow instructions exactly, and record information accurately. Comfort training novice users and figure prep publications/sponsor reports.
On-site role with occasional early/late coverage for long-running tests; lift/move up to ~40 lbs.; prolonged standing during setups.
Strict PPE and UFCD/UF Health Safety policies; annual safety refreshers and instrument check-offs required.
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| Preferred: |
Ideal candidate will have hands-on lab instrumentation experience and safety compliance in an academic or industrial lab, prior experience as multi-user lab management, and basic statistics knowledge.
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| Special Instructions to Applicants: |
In order to be considered, you must upload your resume. This is a time-limited position.
Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.
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| Health Assessment Required: |
No |