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Laboratory Manager
University of Kansas
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Laboratory Manager

University of Kansas

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Details
Posted:
April 17, 2026
Location:
Lawrence, Kansas
Position Overview
The Laboratory Manager will play a support role for faculty in all Mechanical Engineering laboratories, in collaboration with other staff, including but not limited to materials testing and experimental measurements laboratories, teaching and research laboratories, and laboratories affiliated with cornerstone (freshman) and capstone (senior) projects. Specific job responsibilities include: 1) Assist faculty members with teaching needs for laboratory courses in Mechanical Engineering.; 2) Purchase, maintain, and calibrate equipment for all Mechanical Engineering teaching labs, including integrating computer data acquisition and control systems with test equipment under the direction of the Department Chair.; 3) Assist capstone teams with project testing and data acquisition needs.; 4) Assist faculty with the maintenance of research equipment in faculty labs upon request.; 5) Establish and maintain appropriate safety protocols in both teaching and research laboratories.; and 6) Conduct the departmental inventory and space control assessment under the supervision and direction of the Department Chair.
Due to federal funding and guidelines for the research and laboratories that this position will have access and be responsible for, the successful candidate must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or possess an equivalent status that permits work with federally funded projects pertaining to confidential and sensitive information.
Job Description
50% - Coordinate Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Lab Activities
  • Coordinate undergraduate mechanical engineering teaching laboratory activities under the supervision of a faculty member
  • Establish and/or maintain appropriate safety protocols in teaching laboratories.
  • Assist faculty members in teaching and/or training of graduate teaching assistants for instruction of laboratory courses, as needed.
  • Assist faculty members in setting up and dismantling hardware for both required and elective mechanical engineering laboratory courses.
  • Assist faculty members and graduate teaching assistants who teach mechanical engineering courses with in-lecture demonstrations.
  • Assist faculty in developing multimedia and technology resources for undergraduate laboratory courses and demonstration experiments, such as but not limited to the collection of data from remotely-located experiments and the analysis of the data in classroom settings.
  • Assist students and faculty advisors in the operation of experiments, devices, and prototypes in cornerstone (freshman) and capstone (senior) design courses.
20% - Manage Department Laboratory Resources
  • Manage department technical laboratory staff and department teaching laboratory resources under the direction of the Department Chair
  • Train mechanical engineering staff persons or students on the use of equipment.
  • Assist faculty members in the training of Graduate Teaching and Research Assistants to use laboratory equipment.
  • Collaborate with the departmental accountant to track teaching laboratory expenses.
  • Order, install, and troubleshoot new and/or existing teaching laboratory equipment under the direction of the Department Chair.
  • Coordinate access to and documentation of department resources and utilization through an online system.
10% - Student Researcher Laboratory Support
  • Assist student researchers in troubleshooting and maintaining equipment in research laboratories under the request and direction of the laboratory principal investigators, with approval of the Department Chair.
10% - Faculty Laboratory Support
  • Assist faculty members and the department staff in the setup, maintenance, and renovation of departmental laboratory spaces under the direction of the Department Chair.
10% - Other duties as Assigned
  • Other duties and projects as assigned by the Department Chair.

Position Requirements
  1. Must be a United States citizen, permanent resident, or possess an equivalent status that permits working with confidential and sensitive information in engineering.

Required Qualifications
  1. Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related field, and 2 years of relevant experience directly related to the job description OR a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related field.
  2. Minimum of 1 year of demonstrated experience in the use of a programming language, such as but not limited to MATLAB or C++.
  3. Minimum of 1 year of experience in data collection and analysis.
  4. Minimum of 1 year of demonstrated experience in specifying and using instrumentation involving mechanical systems, electro-mechanical systems, and/or thermal-mechanical systems.
  5. Ability to communicate effectively, as demonstrated in application materials.
This position requires a formal degree in the cited discipline area(s) to ensure that candidates have advanced knowledge, analytical skills and professional competencies necessary to perform the duties of the position. The level of degree is commonly recognized as the standard qualification for similar roles in the public and private sector, ensuring that the university remains competitive with industry aligned practices, enhances collaboration with external partners, and supports the delivery of services and programs that meet professional and market-driven expectations.

Preferred Qualifications
  1. M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related field, with a minimum of 3 years of relevant, hands-on experience directly related to the job description.
  2. 3 years of experience programming with MATLAB.
  3. 3 years of experience programming with LabVIEW.
  4. Training & certification from National Instruments.
  5. 2 years of experience in a research environment.
  6. 2 years of experience managing other employees.
  7. 2 years of experience using additive manufacturing hardware and software.

Contact Information to Applicants
Lisa Friis
lfriis@ku.edu
Additional Candidate Instruction
In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:
  • cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications
  • resume
  • list of three professional references
Application review begins Monday, April 27, 2026. To ensure consideration, please apply prior to that date.
Advertised Salary Range
Minimum $65,000; commensurate with experience
Application Review Begins
27-Apr-2026
Anticipated Start Date
18-May-2026
Primary Campus
University of Kansas Lawrence Campus
FTE
1.0
Reg/Temp
Regular
FLSA Status
Executive
Employee Class
U-Unclassified Professional Staff
Work Location Assignment
On-Site
Disclaimer
The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and is the Title IX coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY.

Internal Number: 5221323
About University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a Carnegie doctoral/research-extensive university with a $1.4 billion endowment and a faculty of 2,600. Current enrollment is 28,500 (19,000 undergraduate), with students drawn from 110 nations and all 50 states. The 1,000-acre main campus is in Lawrence, a community of 95,000 in hilly northeast Kansas that lies about 35 miles west of Kansas City and 30 minutes from the state capital, Topeka.. Lawrence has a thriving community with a wide range of activities/events
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