Sarah and John Graves Institute for Robotics & Autonomy
Laboratory Operations and Infrastructure
Maintain robotics workspaces and testing areas
Manage inventory of parts, sensors, actuators, batteries, tools, and consumables
Order and receive equipment and track budgets for supplies
Maintain equipment and station scheduling and checkout systems
Organize storage and documentation systems
Coordinate equipment repairs and vendor support
Assist with facility improvements and laboratory organization
Supporting technology demonstrations for sponsors and industry partners
Ensure facility upkeep and cleanliness, including by working with facilities and other support services to those ends
Research and Experiment Support
Prepare robots for experiments
Set up test environments
Maintain technical records and documentation supporting commercialization activities
Safety and Compliance
Maintain laboratory safety protocols
Train new users on equipment
Develop instructional materials for user support
Develop standard operating procedures
Conduct safety inspections
Ensure compliance with institutional and grant funding requirements
Oversee chemical, battery, and electronic waste disposal
Technical Support for Research Projects
Mechanical Support
Assemble robotic platforms
Aid in the design and fabrication components
Maintain machine shop tools
Perform basic machining, drilling, cutting, and 3D printing
Build experimental fixtures and test rigs
Determine when to outsource design and fabrication and perform follow-through
Electrical Support
Wire robotic systems
Build cable harnesses
Solder components
Troubleshoot power systems
Maintain laboratory electronics
Software Support
Deploy robotics software
Install operating systems and development environments
Maintain ROS (Robot Operating System) infrastructure
Assist with sensor integration
Help configure data-collection systems
Technical Skills
Mechanical assembly and fabrication
CAD software (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Onshape)
3D printing
CNC machining
Embedded systems
Electronics troubleshooting
Soldering
Linux, Python, ROS / ROS2
Sensor integration
Networking
Data acquisition systems
Other Skills
Laboratory record keeping
Good Communication and organization
Customer-service mindset