Research Technician

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world''s brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.

Job Summary

The Okumura Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology performs laboratory physical chemistry experiments investigating gas phase chemistry relevant to Earth's atmosphere, planetary atmospheres, and interstellar medium, as well as reactive environments such as combustion or semi-conductor plasma deposition. We use state-of-the-art methods in laser spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, as well as develop new techniques for high-precision measurements and planetary probes, often in collaboration with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We are seeking a Research Technician to join our team and help us accomplish this research mission. The successful candidate will primarily operate, maintain, and develop spectroscopic, mass spectrometric, and vacuum instrumentation, and assist with laboratory operations. They will work closely with graduate students and other research personnel. As part of their research project contributions, they may be awarded co-authorship on scientific publications.

Essential Job Duties

• Assist in developing a new mass spectrometry/laser method.
• Assist in developing a vacuum system for the study of semiconductor processing.
• Assist in improving existing spectroscopy experiments and acquiring data.
• Assist with research-related laboratory tasks, such as maintaining shared resources.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Chemistry, Physics, or Engineering.
• 1+ year of laboratory teaching or research experience.
• Familiarity with analytical instrumentation.
• Strong organizational, communication, and time-management skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of optics, spectroscopy, vacuum systems, and/or mass spectrometry.
• Knowledge of computer programming.

Required Documents

• Resume