Undergraduate Researcher for Engineering Projects (BioMEMS)- STDT4

Undergraduate researcher for engineering projects

The BioInstrumentation and BioMEMS Laboratory
under Professor Cristina E Davis, PhD
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
University of California, Davis

Payroll title:                 Student Assistant IV (4919 Title Code)

Supervisor:                  Patrick Gibson, R&D ENGR SUPV 2

Pay rate:                      $19/hour

Start date:                   September 2025

Approx. schedule:       5-15 hours/week during academic quarters
                                    Possibility of 20+ hours/week during summer 

Job locations:              1240C and 1131A Bainer Hall (primary), 141 TB 207

Degree level:               Enrollment in an undergraduate program at UC

About this position

The BioInstrumentation and BioMEMS lab is seeking a highly motivated undergraduate student assistant to perform hardware manufacturing and assistance on physical prototypes of engineering systems. The duties include designing CAD, performing manual construction of devices, testing devices that are constructed and presenting the findings of the work to team members. The student is responsible for assisting in the day-to-day instrumentation maintenance. As a member of a team, the student is expected to participate in interactive research meetings with other team members, present work and findings at regular intervals to the entire research group, meet regularly with his or her lab supervisor and provide written summaries as needed, as well as comply with all laboratory safety practices/guidelines

Job description

This open position is to assist with performing physical construction and testing of device prototypes. This work requires use of the UC Davis Engineering Student Design Center (ESDC). Training will be arranged for each instrument the student is expected to operate. The student will assist in experimental work in projects designed by laboratory members, results analysis and data interpretation, and perform ongoing instrument checks and maintenance. Under the direction of experienced lab members, the student will assist with design modifications of simpler mechanical and flow systems components as part of support for the more complex devices designed by the lab members. The student is expected to provide comprehensive written summaries of their work, therefore good notebook keeping and copious record taking is imperative. The student will assist with lab organization, cleanliness, standard component ordering and inventory tasks. Finally, the student will work with team members to prepare manuscripts based on project results.

Estimated effort distribution between activities:

• Laboratory-based work (85%)
• Group meetings (5%)
• Interaction with researchers in the group (10%)

Qualifications

• Be legally authorized to work in the United States.
• Be enrolled into an Engineering undergraduate program at UC Davis.
• Be available to work 10-15 hours/week when classes are in session.
• Be able to lift/maneuver up to 50 lbs.
• Be familiar with engineering design and construction methods, and the desire to learn more.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent notebook and recordkeeping skills.
• The ability to follow strict safety guidelines
• Be able to complete tasks in a timely manner without constant supervision.
• Existing skills with Computer Aided Design software (Solidworks),  Circuit board design  (KiCad), Python and/or C++/Arduino coding, and 3D printing preferred, but not required.

The BioMEMS Lab

The BioInstrumentation and BioMEMS Laboratory is a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative academic research lab. Our group focuses on the development of novel, portable chemical sensors to detect small concentrations of chemical and biological materials rapidly, accurately, and specifically. We are especially interested in the development of new analytical platforms or assays for disease diagnostics and health monitoring in humans, animals, and plants.

We have a broad range of research topics pursued by our lab members, including:

• Non-invasive clinical diagnostic tools
• Sensor system development for precision agriculture
• Novel microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices
• Nanotechnology manufacturing methods
• Biodefense applications
• Bioinformatics and machine learning approaches for automated, real-time data analysis

Please visit the BioInstrumentation and BioMEMS Lab website to see a complete list of our publications and patents: http://mae.engr.ucdavis.edu/faculty/davisc/index.html