1. Give a short summary of the duties and responsibilities of your job.
The Chemical Technologists have interchangeable responsibilities and are assigned a specific laboratory area by the Department Manager.
Each incumbent provides technical support in the field of Chemistry and the use of related equipment. Each incumbent ensures the daily operations of undergraduate laboratories, preparation rooms and undergraduate instrumentation facilities (UIF). Each incumbent demonstrates the highest standards of safety, ensuring that the premises and equipment are used in a safe manner, and that all departmental safety regulations are adhered to.
Duties of each incumbent are mostly divided between teaching and research.
Teaching
1. Prepare equipment and chemicals for course-related experiments in the chemistry teaching laboratories.
2. Order chemicals and equipment for course-related experiments in the chemistry teaching laboratories.
3. Prepare samples for experiments and laboratory term examinations, as well as standard solutions for qualitative and quantitative analysis of experimental products.
4. In conjunction with the laboratory coordinator and/or course instructor, prototype and test new experiments to evaluate their effectiveness for course-related laboratories. This includes suggesting experimental procedures, proof-reading the manual, and ensuring that the methods proposed are achievable within the allotted time, and are within the department’s safety policies.
5. Maintain laboratory equipment lockers for students, and chemical inventory and supplies used in teaching laboratories.
6. Instruct students in proper sample preparation for samples which must be submitted for further analysis. The incumbent may be required to prepare samples and run the analysis, depending on the experiment.
7. Meet laboratory preparation deadlines on a daily basis. Flexibility is important when dealing with last minute changes. Ensuring accurate laboratory preparation is important; missing a deadline means that many students will not be able to perform a required lab experiment.
8. Consult with the laboratory coordinator(s) regularly to ensure the smooth day-to-day operation of the teaching laboratories and discuss any concerns related to the functioning of the laboratories (staffing, experiment design or execution, the student experience, equipment issues, laboratory manual, any other relevant issues).
9. Consult with the Safety Officer regularly to ensure compliance with all safety procedures and to discuss any safety-related concerns.
10. Occasionally, oversee students working in the laboratories at other than scheduled laboratory times, by arrangement with the faculty member in charge of the course and permission of the Safety Officer.
11. Be a resource person for lecture demonstrations: when feasible, supply equipment and/or chemicals for lecture demonstrations; Assist with the preparation and testing of lecture demonstrations.
12. On occasion, supervision of visiting students from local grade and/or high schools.
13. Be a resource person for undergraduate students, teaching assistants, laboratory coordinators, course instructors and other technicians.
14. Assist with the installation of teaching-related equipment.
Research
1. A resource person for all research labs.
2. When a research lab is being dismantled the incumbent goes through the supplies of chemicals and decides which ones should remain in inventory and which must be destroyed or handed over to the Department of Environmental Health and Safety for disposal. Incumbent inventories and tests the functioning of remaining equipment, reports to the Department Manager on the status of the equipment.
3. Assist new faculty members with setting up their labs.
Teaching-Related Instrumentation
1. In addition to the above, the incumbent ensures the proper operation, and performs routine maintenance, of equipment housed in the teaching laboratories and UIF, such as A.A., FTIR, HPLC, IR, GC, UV, and Magnetic Susceptibility Balances.
2. The incumbent supervises, instructs and demonstrates techniques in the practical applications of equipment to users of the teaching laboratories and related UIF. This includes supervising and instructing students in the use of various instruments; and teaching the theory of operation, software applications, sample preparation and sampling techniques.
3. The incumbent teaches and demonstrates the practical applications of instrumentation to large and small groups of undergraduate students as well as researchers both from within the department and from other departments within the University. These duties form an integral part of the course of study for many chemistry courses.
4. The incumbent provides support to researchers in the use of equipment housed in the teaching laboratories and related UIF, as well as servicing/maintaining the equipment and being the resource person for the associated software packages on data acquisition systems.
Other Duties
Other duties as assigned by the Department Manager.
2. To fulfil your duties what knowledge, skills and specialized techniques are required? How would each be normally acquired? How long would it take to become proficient in each of the areas of your work?
Knowledge and skill is normally acquired by completion of 3-yr College diploma in chemistry with 2 years of on-the-job training required. This training is completed by working with academics and researchers in undergraduate and research labs prior to taking this position. A degree from an accredited university program in chemistry would be considered an asset.
Knowledge of all areas of Chemistry is required. When needed, specialized training (NMR, UV-Vis, IR, GC, HPLC etc.) is generally gained through manufacturer’s training and from researchers in the applicable field.
Knowledge of computers, software and interfacing techniques is required for data acquisition systems. Training in the use of these packages is generally obtained from the manufacturer for new purchases, and by reference to manuals for existing equipment.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are required in order to interact effectively with a wide range of individuals (students, faculty, staff), and in providing clear and accurate information.
Excellent organizational and time management skills are required to meet daily lab preparation deadlines, and ensure the smooth and safe operation of the teaching laboratories.
An ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment is required.
3. Is it necessary in this position to oversee the work, or to instruct other staff? If so, what does this involve?
In general, the position does not involve direct oversight of others but it does include some instructional/oversight aspects. For complete details, see Section 1, items 6, 10, and 12 under Teaching, and items 2 and 3 under Teaching-Related Instrumentation. Briefly, the duties include: instructing undergraduate and graduate students, and researchers on the proper use of equipment housed in the teaching labs and related UIF; instructing undergraduate students on proper sample preparation for samples which must be submitted for further analysis; on occasion, overseeing students working in the laboratories at other than scheduled laboratory times and students visiting from local grade and/or high schools; instructing users on the theory of operation, software applications, sample preparation and sampling techniques for equipment housed in the teaching labs and related UIF.
4. What other people must you deal with in this job and why? (i.e. is there direct contact with students, teaching staff, other departments, people outside the university community).
The incumbent works closely with the lab coordinator(s) to ensure the smooth operation of the lab and presentation of the lab portion of the course(s). In this role the incumbent assists the lab coordinator(s) to produce high quality lab manual(s), with appropriate experiments which have been thoroughly tested and are presented in a clear, consistent, and meaningful way.
In the operation and maintenance of undergraduate labs, each incumbent has regular contact with undergraduates, teaching assistants, laboratory coordinator(s), other laboratory technicians, faculty and staff in chemistry, as well as maintenance workers, and others.
The UIF has its own additional contacts with researchers from other departments within the University, as well as from outside the University. Similarly, some instruments housed in the teaching laboratories are also used for research. This contact usually consists of determining the feasibility and/or applicability of the researcher’s requests and training the appropriate research staff to perform the work. For small (one-off) requests, the work is usually performed by the incumbent, rather than providing training.
5. How is your work assigned to you and how closely is your work checked by someone else?
The incumbent will receive the lab schedules before the term begins. The incumbent is expected to meet the laboratory preparation deadlines with no further supervision. The smoothness of the operation of the laboratories is the test of the adequacy of planning and preparation.
The Department Manager will assign, as needed and appropriate, preparation room(s), undergraduate teaching laboratory space(s), and related instrumentation room(s) to the incumbent. Assigned space will be reviewed, as needed and in conjunction with the incumbent, once lab schedules are available for the upcoming year.
The incumbent’s supervisor (Department Manager) leaves the incumbent to his/her own initiative to meet the job’s objectives. Effectiveness is measured by results (safe and successful operation of the teaching laboratories, teaching related equipment well maintained) and feedback from stakeholders (laboratory coordinators, faculty, teaching assistants, etc.). The supervisor would only become directly involved if concerns are raised and circumstances require further action in order to get to resolution.
The incumbent’s performance review is done by the Department Manager.
6 a) Are the sorts of problems encountered in this job usually covered by established procedures or do you frequently have to develop or invent solutions to problems yourself?
For the most part, the job relies on established procedures. However, chemistry is a constantly changing field as newer and more sophisticated procedures are designed to analyze and synthesize chemicals. The incumbent must be able to test and develop new procedures.
Most of the problems the incumbent will deal with arise from within the incumbent’s field of expertise; therefore, the incumbent is expected to identify, isolate and solve the problems themselves. The incumbent draws on his/her own training and experience as well as the expertise of manufacturers, faculty and staff.
As needed, for a range of problems (staffing-related, the overall functioning of the laboratory, safety-related problems, etc.), the incumbent will be expected to contact the appropriate resource person(s) such as lab coordinator(s), the department manager, the safety officer, other laboratory technicians, faculty responsible for a course, as needed.
6 b) Are you involved in establishing standard procedures? (Give examples)
The incumbent follows established procedures (e.g. Environmental Health and Safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the Chemistry Department Safety Protocols) at all times. The incumbent develops standard processes in order to comply with these SOPs, regulations and protocols, e.g. the dispensing of noxious or hazardous chemicals in the teaching laboratories, the use of waste solvent containers to prevent chemicals from being washed down the drains, etc.
In addition, the incumbent is involved in condensing the information provided by manufacturers into a form useable by users of the equipment in the teaching laboratories and related UIF. This establishes guidelines for the operation of the equipment.
The incumbent is involved in assisting with the development and/or testing experimental procedures for new laboratory experiments and lecture demonstrations.
7 a) What is the size of your department (i.e. #of classes for which you are involved with labs., # of students, # of staff you might come in contact with, # of technicians in department).
Chemistry is a large department with over 20 faculty members and 15 support staff including 3 chemical technologists. Over 1800 students complete experiments in the first year chemistry laboratory, and over 700 students completing experiments as part of their second and third year chemistry courses. Most first and second year courses have a laboratory component, and the department offers a laboratory in third year as well. The department maintains several teaching laboratories and preparation rooms, and a UIF, on the first and second floors of Chernoff Hall. Each year, over 200 teaching assistant positions are filled in order to offer our chemistry program and the majority of these positions are related to the chemistry laboratories.
7 b) What kind of equipment or material are you responsible for? Are you solely responsible for it and what is its approximate value?
The incumbent is responsible for equipment and chemicals in the chemistry teaching laboratories, preparation rooms and a UIF. For specific details, see Section 1, items 1, 5, 11, and 14 under Teaching, item 2 under Research, and items 1 and 4 under Teaching-Related Instrumentation.
Briefly, incumbent ensures the proper use and general security of chemicals, teaching-related equipment and glassware housed in assigned teaching laboratories, preparation rooms, and related UIF. Approximate value is difficult to assess, and varies depending on the specific teaching laboratory, but individual items range from glassware (low per item cost), to computers, balances, and hot plates ($500-$5000 per item), to specialized equipment (up to $50,000 in value for some equipment). Incumbent also assists with dismantling research labs.
8. Give details of any unusual factors affecting this job? I.e. hazards, unusual working conditions, requirement for a high degree of manual dexterity etc.
Incumbent deals daily with a number of potentially hazardous chemicals. Exposure to various chemicals is unavoidable due to the nature of the undergraduate experiments. Handling of many chemicals requires special precautions and procedures. Incumbent must have knowledge of current SOPs and policies, the nature of these hazards, and be able to develop expertise to deal with chemicals on a routine basis.
There is also risk that students may not follow instructions provided. This can be in the form of hazards due to spills, explosions, excessive heat, production of asphyxiates, etc.
Incumbent must also be able to multitask, coping well with the pressure of having to deal with many people at one time.
Scheduling of individual experiments is also required and flexibility may be required as the experiments in operation can sometimes change daily. As such, an ability to visualize the layout of the lab and possible configurations while still ensuring that all relevant safety procedures are maintained is necessary.
Additional hazards include UV and Laser radiation as well as electrical hazards. Furthermore, it is sometimes necessary to work alone in the above-mentioned hazardous conditions.
The schedule for this position requires the incumbent to work flexible hours, which may include early mornings and extended hours into the evening, as well as the possibility of working weekends as required.
9 Do you have any general comments about this position which may not be covered by the preceding questions?
The incumbent has up-to-date training in WHMIS, laboratory safety training, supervisory training through Environmental Health and Safety, completion of Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities training, First Aid certification, and training in HAZMAT, CPR and the use of fire safety equipment. Hazardous situations must be recognized and dealt with before they fully develop.
