"Senior Staff Associate III - Cleanroom Director"

The Columbia Nano Initiative (CNI) operates a cutting-edge nanofabrication clean room lab spanning 5,000 square feet, equipped with 40 advanced fabrication and metrology instruments. Our facility serves over 200 active users from Columbia University and beyond, including researchers from other universities and private companies.

The cleanroom director, SSA3, designs, performs, and supports research experiments in the cleanroom lab, focusing on device fabrication and fabrication process optimization. This involves conducting scientific literature surveys and utilizing advanced techniques and data analysis. Fabrication sectors include: photolithography, deposition, dry and wet etch, diffusion, and backend processes.

The cleanroom director provides guidance to students, lab users, and peers from other departments on safe equipment operation, gas and chemical handling, optimal experimental conditions, and efficient data analysis to achieve research goals. They manage the operational tasks and projects of the cleanroom staff, providing technical guidance and leadership.

The cleanroom director, SSA3, performs integrated experiments in the lab for various research projects and conducts scientific literature reviews to address specific fabrication challenges. They ensure that fabrication instruments are stable and operating within specifications, optimize process health, and keep the lab and techniques up to date for advanced research projects.

The cleanroom director initiates, writes, and actively participates in writing lab protocols, standard operating procedures, grant proposals, and scientific manuscripts for publication.

The cleanroom director, SSA3, leads maintenance efforts for cleanroom lab equipment, including preventative maintenance, problem diagnostics and troubleshooting, and repairs. They evaluate new techniques and instruments for potential installation and implementation, coordinating with vendors, service providers, and other campus entities.

The cleanroom director, SSA3, is a safety champion, who is comfortable working with hazardous chemicals and toxic and flammable gases. They oversee safety protocols, respond to gas leak alarms, troubleshoot root causes and implement related procedures to ensure lab safety.

The cleanroom director, SSA3, participates in budget planning and user fee collection to maintain the financial health of the lab.

Bachelor's Degree in Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field. Master's Degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred.

15 years of experience.

Expert level knowledge and skills in Nanofabrication, working in a cleanroom environment, including but not limited to Photolithography, reactive ion etching, and physical vapor deposition. Knowledge of vacuum systems and gas cylinder handling.

Experience designing and performing experimental research in a scientific field (Materials science, Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering or a similar field), including literature survey, design of experiments, data analysis, and scientific writing.

Manages and leads substantial portions of integrative research projects and leads the technical team of the cleanroom.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Pay Transparency Disclosure: The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training.