Technical Assistant

Vanderbilt University seeks a Technical Assistant to support a research project in the neuroimaging and
optical engineering space. The person in this role will support activities in electronics human factors/softgoods and humans subjects validation and repeatability testing. Successful candidates are self-motivated
and demonstrate a history of careful structured work excellent documentation and the ability to work
under guidance with some independence while coordinating closely with lab members the PI
collaborators and other resources on addition to technical responsibilities some
administrative responsibilities will be expected as well.

Vanderbilt University is a globally recognized research institution committed to advancing knowledge and
improving lives through discovery innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. The role is based within
Vanderbilts Bowden Biomedical Optics Lab run by Professor Audrey Bowden in the Department of
Biomedical Engineering.

Duties and Responsibilities

Research Project Coordination

• Initiate tasks based on project goals and meeting action items.
• Track to-dos; maintain prototype/version logs (electronics and enclosure revisions).
• Draft brief progress updates meeting summaries and internal memos.

Research Support

• Assist with electronics prototype development; maintain configuration and test logs.
• Perform relevant testing to validate electronics performance and identify quality issues.
• Support structured in-lab testing for signal quality consistency and placement repeatability
  (including organized data capture and metadata tracking).

Effective Operation of the Lab

• Maintain orderly workspaces instruments and documentation; follow lab safety and required
  trainings.
• Recognize problems and suggest solutions; assist in modifications and improvements to
  protocols/test setups.

Administration of the Lab

• Coordinate scheduling for bench testing and (as assigned) validation sessions; manage supplies and basic procurement needs consistent with University policies and grant guidelines.
• Organize de-identified data storage file naming and backups to support accurate reporting and
  reproducibility.

Other Duties

• Support preparation of figures/tables for internal reports and presentations; perform additional
  related tasks as assigned.
  

Supervisory Relationships: This position does not have supervisory responsibilities and reports directly to the project MPI (or designee).

Qualifications

• A Bachelors degree in Biomedical Engineering (or closely related field) is required.
• Entry-level (02 years) research or hands-on prototyping/testing experience preferred (capstone lab internship) is required.
• Experience with careful documentation (lab notebook/ELN) structured testing and data organization is necessary.
• Strong communication and organizational skills; exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to work precisely and structurally independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Comfort learning new equipment/workflows quickly; troubleshooting mindset.
• Experience with one or more of the following preferred: benchtop electronics testing sensor systems MATLAB/Python/Excel for plots and basic statistics CAD or prototype assembly human-subject study support workflows (role-appropriate training provided/required).