Job Opportunity: Junior Specialist in the Louie Lab

The Department of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of California, Davis invites applications from qualified candidates for one or more Junior Specialist positions. A bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or related field is required.

NATURE AND PURPOSE

The position of Junior Specialist has a narrow focus in a specialized area. It provides technical or specialized expertise (e.g., with instrumentation and research equipment or with research methods) in the planning and executing of a research project. Junior Specialists must be actively and significantly involved in publishable research activities, including reviewing journal articles and engaging in discussions on research and the interpretation of research results. Junior Specialists are also expected to participate in appropriate professional/technical societies or groups and other educational and research organizations and review research proposals, journal manuscripts, and publications as applicable related to their research area of expertise.

JOB SUMMARY AND DESIGNATED AREA OF EXPERTISE

The candidate will provide specialized expertise in the backend architecture for a video game research project, part of the UC-wide online course, “Introduction to Research,” used as a supplementary educational interactive assignment for the students participating in the system. The candidate will not participate in teaching or curricular development related to this course. Under the direction of the PI, the candidate’s responsibilities are a significant and essential part of publishable research activities related to functional educational online games. The candidate will implement a new robust backend system replacing the currency deprecated legacy system to ensure students’ data are saved, stored, and retrieved correctly. Other responsibilities could include recruiting the next team of backend programmers to provide consistent game functionalities and fix any emerging problems.

The candidate will keep meticulous technical documentation, collaborate with the current team to test new systems and work with the PI to revise future game functionalities. The candidate will perform routine software tests, including functional database testing, data consistency testing, and UI testing. The candidate’s significant contributions will lead to authorship or acknowledgment of published work.

RESEARCH IN SPECIALIZED AREAS (85% EFFORT) - The candidate will assist the PI and other team members in defining the core needs for the current online game ranging from implementing a new backend system to enhancing the user interface. - The candidate will perform thorough research on current backend system services and select the most appropriate system to fit the current system. - The candidate will write a comprehensive technical guide for implementing the new systems and features. - In addition to successfully collaborating with other research personnel in the lab and communicating design and engineering information, the candidate will be responsible for presenting updates during weekly project meetings.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY (10% EFFORT) - Candidate will participate in appropriate professional/technical societies or groups and other educational and research organizations.

UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE (5% EFFORT) - Candidate may maintain liaison and respond to the needs of various industry organizations, state and federal agencies, and other external groups on issues related to area of expertise. - The candidate may participate in committees within the department, college, campus, and other University entities, as appropriate.

Interested candidates should submit all materials via the web-based online submission system (https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF04800). Required materials include a curriculum vitae, cover letter, and names and contact information for 3-5 references.

POSITION AVAILABLE/CLOSING DATE - As openings occur, appointments are made contingent upon funding availability. The posting will remain open to accommodate department needs. If you would like to continue to be considered after that time, you will need to submit a new application when a new position is posted.