Research Associate - Fibers and Composites Manufacturing

Description

Research Associate: Fibers & Composites Manufacturing

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced candidate to join the Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF), department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering.

Position description

The successful candidate will need a minimum of 10 years work experience in commodity and engineering polymers and composites, extrusion/compounding equipment, and plastics/composites production environment is sought to support a broad range of equipment, facilities, assets organization, scheduling and use for the fibers and composites team at UTK. The candidate should have working knowledge and experience in advanced composites manufacturing, polymer processing/compounding, tooling, process & product development, testing/characterization. Industry experience in planning and standing up manufacturing or staging and operations of new and used equipment and facilities from and empty shell building to an operational process environment. Overseeing the installation and training of the Wabash press, extruders, injection molding machine, tape layup machine to name a few in the Innovation South facility. The candidate should be intimately familiar with the operations of this equipment and impart training in this skill set is highly desirable. The position will also support work force development efforts in plastics, composites and metal casting/forging for K-12 and entry workers in industries. Interfacing with industry customers, sponsors and engaging students and collaborators is another key requirement.

Key responsibilities

Support a variety of needs of the Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (transitioning to Innovation South @ UT Research Park, Cherokee Farms). These needs include familiarity with the polymers and composites manufacturing processing equipment, installation protocols, training and operations, location and placement within the facility (as discussed with supervisor), UT Cherokee Farm personnel and UT facilities personnel, as well as vendors of the various assets. Be able to support the new equipment plans, specifications, training, operation as guided by project needs as they arise. The position will work closely with the PIs and fellow staff/students/collaborators on federal projects such as with DOE, DoD, NIACMI, NSF and related agencies as directed by supervisor Dr. Uday Vaidya and fellow faculty collaborators. The work will engage multiple investigators that are part of the various projects. The team includes fellow researchers, IACMI-The Composites Institute and ORNL collaborative efforts and industry projects. A significant amount of expansion is ongoing in the work force development with agencies like IACMI-DoD IBAS as an example. The candidate will be engaged in supporting these activities based on need and planning and execution of the tasks with discussion and oversight of the PI. The composites operations at UT are consolidating in a new facility (building) called Innovation South at UT Research Park, Cherokee Farms. The candidate will work closely with existing staff and operations to facilitate the move, bring the equipment to up and running, trouble shooting and generate validation, calibration and trials to ensure full operating capabilities. There are multiple diverse needs when it comes to moving facilities from various parts of UT and other locations. These include full engagement from planning the move, riggers, scheduling, utilities hook up, safety protocol checks and implementation, getting the equipment hooked up, testing validation, training, if needed bringing n company/vendor/supplier on site for approval of the install. Documenting and coordination with UT facilities services team. All these actions lead to servicing of federal, stage, industry, private, and academic, collaborative projects to meet milestones. The candidate will support expansion plans and collaborate with various PIs working in the ecosystem. While the candidate is not a PI, the different project works require high degrees of holistic thinking. This is a typical case for almost all projects this position will require. These are a diverse range of problems and require a holistic knowledge that comes with years of experience.

Requirements, Knowledge, & Skills

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, or a related field.

Knowledge of composite material constituents-fibers, resins, additives, and accessories

Skills in extrusion, polymer compounding, composites manufacturing

Ability to conduct mechanical testing such as ASTM tensile, flex, inter laminar shear, impact

Knowledge of composites modeling and ability to interpret results from a finite element or CAD

Interest and willingness to work with work force development across levels, K-12, community colleges and industry stakeholders.

Preferred

Master's degree

Preferred knowledge of composite tooling for compression and extrusion-compression molding

Preferred skills in processing of composite panels and parts using the processes mentioned

Ability to generate technical reports and provide interpretations and comprehensive data

Skills in project deliverables

Ability to communicate with collaborators and industry partners

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