Technician

Department:	Earth Sciences	Effective Date:	August 31, 2006
Grade:	USG 6	Reports to:	Faculty

General Accountability

The Technician would report directly to David Rudolph Faculty in Department of Earth Sciences or Brewster Conant, Research Faculty, Department of Earth Sciences and will be responsible for the operations, maintenance and coordination of the research infrastructure associated with a Physical Properties Laboratory and several field Research Facilities. This will include the purchasing, maintenance, operation and installation of a wide variety of measurements devices associated specifically with hydrologic investigations. Faculty, staff, and students of the Earth Sciences Department use the infrastructure and direct interaction with all of these different user groups will be necessary.

Nature and Scope

This position is associated with a laboratory and field research program headed by Prof. David Rudolph in the Dept. of Earth Sciences. The Technician would report either directly to Prof. Rudolph or to Prof. Brewster Conant, Research Assistant Professor and senior field facilities coordinator. The position would be centred out of the Physical Properties Laboratory associated with the Dept. of Earth Sciences in the CEIT Building on the University of Waterloo campus. Frequent field trips will be required under all weather conditions. The work will involve the operation and maintenance of a wide range of modern electronic monitoring equipment including software and hardware components and extensive computer management of complex data bases and web-based systems including the research programs web page. A major part of the job is day-to-day interaction with multiple users of the infrastructure and equipment including research faculty, staff and students.

Statistical Data

Infrastructure Users	50
Value of lab and field infrastructure	$1 million

Specific Accountabilities

The position of Technician will involve a wide range of different abilities and will require the following specific outcomes/skills:

In depth knowledge of automated data sensing/logging hardware and software including the ability to program and deploy

Campbell Scientific data recording systems
Solinst, Decagon and Onset data logging equipment
Knowledge of operation and maintenance of meteorologic sensors and a wide variety of hydrological equipment.
Installation and operation of unsaturated zone monitoring devices including a radioactive neutron probe that requires a users license.

Oversee purchasing of new equipment for laboratory and field research facilities.
Maintenance and management of the research group’s web page and multi-faceted databases.

Extensive knowledge of web development software and Microsoft software including ACCESS.

Experience in supervision of drilling

Working Conditions

The work would be focussed primarily through an office environment in the Physical Properties Laboratory associated with the Dept. of Earth Sciences in the CEIT Building at the University of Waterloo. The maintenance and operation of the field infrastructure will require a significant amount of time in the field occasionally requiring irregular and extended work hours during field experimentation. There will be a significant amount of personal interaction with a wide variety of different infrastructure users and there will be occasional deadlines related to equipment purchase and preparation.