Senior Research Technician, Step 1

Location: Alabama • Work type: Staff Full-time Non-Exempt • Department: Research Institute

About the role

This position provides engineering expertise in measurement science, instrumentation, and experimental design in support of Research Institute-sponsored research programs. The position will develop, implement, and evaluate measurement and data-acquisition techniques, including thermal, optical, material-response, circuit/signal, and high-speed measurement systems. Responsibilities include selecting and integrating instrumentation, designing custom measurement and triggering solutions, troubleshooting experimental systems, and conducting calibration, noise analysis, and performance characterization. The position will support laboratory and field testing by developing and validating experimental configurations prior to deployment, helping reduce technical risk and improve the quality and reliability of research data. The incumbent will also collaborate with research teams to develop new and innovative instrumentation and measurement approaches to meet emerging research requirements.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with scientists, engineers, students, and other research personnel to support experimental design, instrumentation selection, test execution, data analysis, and continued development of Research Institute measurement capabilities.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate experimental measurement and data acquisition systems supporting Research Institute-sponsored research, including thermal, optical, material-response, circuit/signal, and high‑speed measurement applications.
• Design, select, integrate, and operate instrumentation and experimental systems, including sensors, data-acquisition equipment, signal conditioning, high-speed imaging, and specialized triggering systems.
• Plan and support laboratory and field experiments, including test setup, instrumentation, calibration, data collection, troubleshooting, noise analysis, and performance characterization to ensure reliable and accurate research data.
• Develop and evaluate new or customized measurement and instrumentation solutions to address unique research requirements, improve experimental capabilities, and reduce technical risk prior to field testing.

Requirements

• Associate's degree or 2 years of college and 24‑48 months (2 to 4 years) of full-time work experience (2‑3 years of experience in instrumentation, experimental testing, data acquisition, or engineering research)
• Coursework in Electrical, Mechanical, or Aerospace Engineering or Physics
• Ability to apply engineering principles to the design, setup, operation, and analysis of experimental measurement systems

Qualifications

• Experience with data-acquisition systems, oscilloscopes, sensors, signal conditioning, circuit and signal analysis, thermal measurements, strain gauges/load cells, optical instrumentation, and high-speed imaging or triggering systems is preferred.
• Experience developing custom instrumentation, electronics, or specialized circuits and integrating sensors and instrumentation into experimental systems is highly desirable.

Pay

50,000 - 55,000