Technical and Research Infrastructure Director

About the role

The Technical and Research Infrastructure Director provides strategic and operational leadership for the Virginia Tech Micro-/Nanofabrication Cleanroom and Laboratory within the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering. This shared research and education facility supports semiconductor devices, nanophotonics, microelectromechanical systems, quantum technologies, advanced materials, biointerfaces, and emerging devices. Reporting to and working under the guidance of the Faculty Director, the position translates approved scientific and institutional priorities into implementable equipment, engineering, instrumentation, process-support, data-acquisition, and facility capabilities. The Director leads the facility's technical roadmap, major equipment programs, infrastructure modernization, engineering standards, configuration control, vendor technical relationships, and integration of validated research capabilities into routine shared-user operations. The position supervises technical personnel, including the Nanofabrication Process and Integration Engineer, and coordinates activities across the Whittemore Hall Cleanroom, Electron-Beam Lithography Laboratory, university service units, faculty laboratories, equipment vendors, and approved user projects. The Director also oversees facility budgets, cost-recovery and user-fee structures, the laboratory information management and billing platform, external partnerships, and eligible extramural infrastructure-funding efforts.

Responsibilities

• Lead the facility's technical roadmap, major equipment programs, infrastructure modernization, engineering standards, configuration control, vendor technical relationships, and integration of validated research capabilities into routine shared-user operations.
• Supervise technical personnel, including the Nanofabrication Process and Integration Engineer.
• Coordinate activities across the Whittemore Hall Cleanroom, Electron-Beam Lithography Laboratory, university service units, faculty laboratories, equipment vendors, and approved user projects.
• Oversee facility budgets, cost-recovery and user-fee structures, the laboratory information management and billing platform, external partnerships, and eligible extramural infrastructure-funding efforts.

Requirements

• Advanced degree in engineering, physical science, applied science, or a related field, or a bachelor's degree with significant relevant professional experience.
• Professional experience in semiconductor fabrication, microfabrication, nanofabrication, scientific instrumentation, advanced manufacturing, or research infrastructure.
• Experience commissioning, integrating, modifying, troubleshooting, or managing sophisticated equipment.
• Experience with vacuum systems, lithography, plasma processing, thin-film deposition, instrumentation, controls, sensors, networking, laboratory automation, or a comparable technical area.
• Experience leading complex technical projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Experience with budget or resource-management responsibilities.
• Experience developing technical specifications, procedures, configuration records, or engineering documentation.
• Experience supervising, mentoring, or coordinating technical personnel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in a relevant engineering or physical-science discipline.
• Proven history of progressively responsible technical leadership experience in a university cleanroom, shared-user facility, semiconductor facility, national laboratory, or advanced industrial research environment.
• Experience with advanced fabrication and characterization technologies, such as electron-beam lithography, plasma etching, atomic-layer deposition, chemical-vapor deposition, physical-vapor deposition, or advanced metrology.
• Experience with equipment procurement, commissioning, acceptance testing, vendor coordination, and lifecycle planning.
• Experience with laboratory automation, equipment connectivity, data acquisition, industrial networking, or related technologies using platforms such as Python, LabVIEW, programmable logic controllers, OPC Unified Architecture, SECS/GEM, EPICS, or SiLA.
• Experience with scientific-data systems, digital modeling, machine learning, cyber-physical systems, or automated laboratories.
• Experience with facility financial management, cost-recovery or user-fe