Staff - Union
CUPE 116
CUPE 116 Salaried - Research Assistant /Technician 3
Research Assistant/Technician 3
Shared Instrument Facility | Department of Chemistry | Faculty of Science
$4,900.00 - $5,343.00 CAD Monthly
June 23, 2026
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
Job End Date
April 7, 2028
This is a leave replacement for a fixed term duration.
At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.
Job Summary
Serves 1st to 4th year undergraduate teaching laboratories that focus dominantly on first-year general chemistry, analytical chemistry with some integrated and materials chemistry experiments. Under minimal direction and according to course timetables, is responsible for the setup, maintenance, and supplying of chemicals and equipment for the laboratories. Prepares and standardizes reagents and solutions for these laboratories. Troubleshoots, calibrates and maintains equipment. Maintains chemical inventory and leads laboratory safety program. Orders and receives equipment and supplies from the Chemistry Stores facility. Tests experiments and participates in experiment development.
Indirectly supervises teaching assistants (TAs) and students with respect to their laboratory safety practices. Collaboration with lab faculty in direct supervision and monitoring of the work of summer and work study student(s).
Organizational Status
Reports to lab faculty (e.g., faculty assigned to Chem 141, 211, and 3xx/4xx) for work assignments as necessary. Coordinates work required with chemistry stores, electronics, mechanical and glass shop personnel. Reports to the Manager, Shared Instrument Facility for issues relating to attendance, reassignment, cross-training, and/or human resources issues.
Work Performed
Helps relay technical and safety information to the TAs and students enrolled in the courses.
Responsible for the setup of the lab for numerous lab sections per week involving different chemistry courses with enrollments of up to 60 students per section:
- Prepares, standardizes, dispenses and maintains solutions and analytical standards on an ongoing basis. This includes performing algebraic calculations, accurately weighing solids and/or measuring solution volumes with calibrated glassware. Maintains clear written records of solution preparation details. Routinely assays chemicals used by students.
- Responds to standard procedures prior/during building maintenance such as fumehood/gas/ water shutdowns.
- Prepares, checks, bottles and labels the standard and unknown solutions. This requires working with very low concentrations (ppb range or lower; much smaller than other Chemistry teaching lab technicians) and purity is extremely important as required for the ICP and GC mass spectrometers. Accuracy of solution preparation work is key to successful operation of teaching labs.
- Responsible for setup and breakdown of experiment stations at beginning, middle and end of term. This includes disconnecting/disassembling and storing lab equipment, glassware, computers, etc.
- Ensures that adequate supplies of chemicals, reagents, deionized water, ice etc. are on hand for each particular experiment and in appropriate form for dispensing to or by the T.A.s or students (i.e. pre-weighed, transferred to liquid dispenser, etc.). This regularly requires lifting weights up to 20kg.
- Safely transports and installs high-pressure gas cylinders, both full and empty.
- Acts as a resource for students by dealing with inquiries related to the use of equipment used in experiments.
- Recovers and purifies chemicals for re-use.
- Allocates and maintains inventory of glassware and equipment included in experiment lockers.
- Cleans glassware, equipment, laboratory benches as needed
- Maintains stocks of supplies and common chemicals. Checks inventory levels and assesses supplier availability and prices in preparation for lab faculty s restocking order.
- Neutralizes and/or disposes of hazardous chemical waste (e.g., digestion of excess metallic sodium) and chemical spills (e.g., acid, base, flammable liquid and mercury spills)
- Ensures all safety/WHMIS regulations are met and maintains safe lab practices
- Participates in Chemistry Department safety programs such as serving as fire warden and/or first aid attendant
- Participates in development and testing of new experiments, including development of operating procedures
- In consultation with Lab Faculty, configures data acquisition hardware and writes, develops or adapts data acquisition software program
- Maintains apparatus and chemical inventory as necessary.
- In charge of distributing and selling teaching materials for undergraduate teaching laboratories.
- May be required to substitute for other lab technicians for performance of routine tasks.
- Sets up, tests, performs routine maintenance and, in collaboration with lab faculty, troubleshoots and repairs complex laboratory equipment and instrumentation valued at approximately $1,300,000. This equipment includes but is not limited to:
- HPLC and ion chromatographs
- Inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometer
- Inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer
- Gas chromatograph with mass spectrometer
- Potentiostats and associated electrodes
- Diode array and fiber optic UV-Vis spectrometers and fluorimeter
- Time-resolved fluorimeter
- Atomic absorption spectrometers
- Flow injection analysis systems
- Scintillation counters
- Neutron activation reactor
- In-house water purification system
- LabQuest portable data acquisition devices
- Gas standards generator
- Fluid dispensers
Miscellaneous Equipment:
Responsible for the maintenance and proper operation of common lab equipment and apparatus such as rotary evaporators, glassware washer, analytical and top-loading balances, ovens, magnetic and mechanical stirrers, heating mantles, electrically-heated oil and water baths, ultrasonic cleaners, liquid dispensers, vacuum pumps, etc.
Consequence of Error/Judgement
Work is subject to check by lab directors. Frequent checks of work performed is impractical; a high degree of confidence in quality of work performed is essential.
This is particularly critical in the analytical laboratories for which the technician prepares and maintains supplies of more than 100 solutions, many of them standards, some requiring standardization. A significant portion of students grades is assigned for numerical results which are functions of these standard solutions. The impact of improperly prepared solutions is detected only when systematically poor analytical results are quoted in students reports submitted one to two weeks after the date of the experiment. The laboratory faculty or the technician must then carry out tests to locate and confirm the source of the problem, must identify all students whose results were affected by the error, then must notify these students that their results will be disregarded in final grading. Such incidents are very time consuming and reflect negatively upon the integrity of the course.
Major errors or incorrect decisions could mean that one or more laboratory periods would be postponed or cancelled. Incorrect operation of some instruments - such as atomic absorption spectrometers using a nitrous oxide-acetylene flame - would inevitably result in an explosion. Incorrect mixture of solutions could lead to toxic fumes and evacuation of students from the laboratory. Course integrity and continuity demand zero errors of major consequence.
Supervision Received
The course and lab programs are designed and implemented by the lab faculty and once specific requirements for chemicals, equipment and supplies have been established (in consultation with the technician) little direction is provided. Logistics are the responsibility of the technician. If the work is not completed properly or in a timely fashion then the teaching lab cannot operate. A basic check of the technician s work is confirmed daily by successful completion of each lab. Reports to Administrative Supervisor for issues relating to attendance, reassignment, cross-training, and/or human resources issues.
Routine maintenance of instrumentation and equipment is the responsibility of the technician - little if any supervision is given or required in this area. The technician maintains a liaison with electronic and mechanical shops in the event major repairs or adjustments are required; this may be done on own initiative or after consultation with the lab faculty.
Routine calibration and performance testing of instrumentation is under the control of technician. If problems arise, lab faculty may require additional tests performed and adjustments made.
Supervision Given
Two to three summer students and work study students maybe under the supervision of the technician as far as their duties involving lab maintenance are concerned.
In collaboration with the lab faculty and TAs, the technician oversees the operation of the laboratory. In the event that the lab faculty is/are absent from the lab (greater than a few hours) the faculty member(s) will arrange for another faculty member to be on call. Ultimate responsibility of the lab operation is that of the lab faculty.
Minimum Qualifications
Completion of a relevant technical program or a university degree in a relevant discipline and a minimum three years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion
Preferred Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline or Graduation from a technical college or institute.A diploma or degree in chemistry is preferred.Minimum of 3 years related experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience.Minimum of 3 years related experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience in an analytical lab setting preferred. Experience with solution preparation and standardization at high level of accuracy, and all associated calculations. Excellent organizational/logistical skills: ability to plan, organize, and set up teaching laboratory according to lab schedules. Basic computer skills. Good communication skills; fluency in English; ability to instruct students in the use of equipment. Good analytical reasoning and problem-solving skills. Familiarity with WHMIS regulations and other safety practices. Good physical fitness essential to meet the daily demands of our undergraduate labs.
