University of Waterloo

Lab Instructor, BioMedical Science

University of Waterloo$87K — $109K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • PhD in Biology required.
  • Minimum of two years' teaching experience in a laboratory and/or classroom setting required.
  • Strong background in anatomy instruction and modern biological training, specifically cell biology and microbiology.
  • Demonstrated understanding of safe chemical handling and emergency procedures in a laboratory environment.
  • Proficiency in using laboratory equipment including microscopes and centrifuges.

Responsibilities

  • Organize and run both laboratory-only and combined lecture-laboratory courses.
  • Design and update laboratory experiments, manuals, and associated course materials.
  • Calculate and submit final grades to the Registrar's Office for laboratory courses.
  • Monitor and address safety concerns within laboratory sessions for students and TAs.
  • Manage the procurement and maintenance of laboratory equipment and chemicals.

Benefits

  • Opportunity for professional development and training.
  • Engagement in innovative academic programs like the new BioMedical Science Program.
  • Access to resources from Counseling Services for student support.
  • Potential for networking and collaboration through committees and workshops.
Full Job Description
Job Requisition ID:


Time Type:
Full time

Employee Group:
Staff

Job Category:
Academic Delivery Support

Employment Type:
Temporary

Department:
Faculty of Science - Biology

Hiring Range:
$87,620.25 - $109,525.32

Posting Information:This posting is for an existing vacancy.

The internal posting deadline for this position is July 16, 2026 at 11:59PM.

This position is being offered as a Secondment or contract opportunity. Term: 2 years

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

The Biology Laboratory Instructor for the newly developed BioMedical Science Program (BMedSci) is responsible for BIOL 130L, BIOL 240L, and the new digital human anatomy laboratory (BIOL 201), as well as dedicated teaching within the new BioMedical Sciences (BMedSci) program launching Fall 2026This includes organizing and instructing laboratory-only courses, teaching courses with lecture and lab components, developing and writing laboratory experiments and manuals, designing examinations and quizzes and keeping the content and resources current. For courses that have lectures directly associated with laboratories, the Biology Laboratory Instructor is responsible for designing experiments that complement the lecture component of the course.

Key Accountabilities

Administration of assigned laboratories, including but not limited to:
• Independently organizes and runs laboratory-only courses;
• Independently organizes and runs combined lecture and laboratory courses;
• Ensures that laboratory experiments reflect the course content directly associated with the laboratory;
• Organizes and creates assignments, laboratory manuals, midterms and final exams for the laboratory courses assigned, including updates to materials as necessary;
• Responsible for collecting and maintaining laboratory reports, midterms and exam grades; calculates and submits final grades to the Registrar's Office;
• Marks assignments, midterms and exams; calculates and submits final grades to the Registrar's Office;
• Prepares protocols of laboratory procedures - individual techniques and/or manuals;
• Oversees enrollment into each laboratory/tutorial section, monitors course limits and signs course override forms;
• Schedules laboratory and tutorial sections and corrects scheduling problems as they may occur, in coordination with the Undergraduate Program Manager;
• Monitors laboratory sessions and identifies and addresses potential safety concerns for students and Teaching Assistants (TAs);
• Orders chemicals needed for laboratory experiments and arranges proper disposal of waste;
• Organizes lab set-up/tear down in coordination with Laboratory Technicians;
• Purchases and maintains laboratory equipment, including fixing minor equipment problems;
• In coordination with Laboratory Technicians and Teaching Assistants, ensures that equipment and chemicals are put away at the conclusion of each experiment;
• Closes each laboratory section upon completion of the laboratory session;
• Is available for answering student and TA questions;
• Advises and provides help to students on an individual basis, as needed, and reassigning students who have missed laboratory sections;
• Provides students in distress with the first step in emotional support and referrals for counselling ; Interacts with and attends workshops organized by Counselling Services to obtain appropriate guidelines;
• May serve on Biology/Science undergraduate committees and undergraduate curriculum committees;
• Recommends major equipment purchases and negotiates competitive pricing with equipment vendors;
• Reviews, updates and improves existing experiments annually;
• Develops new content annually for laboratory-only courses and specific courses that include laboratories.

Teaches specific courses as assigned by the Associate Chair, Undergraduate:
• Plans, creates and teaches specific courses assigned by the Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies associated with the new BioMedical Science Program;
• Independently prepares to deliver course content either in the classroom or online;
• Organizes and creates assignments, quizzes, midterms and final exams, including make-up exams for the lecture courses assigned;
• Marks assignments, midterms and exams; calculates and submits final grades to the Registrar's Office.

Manages laboratory Teaching Assistants and Other Teaching Supports (Co-op students) each term, including but not limited to:
• Helps recruit, interview, and select graduate and undergraduate TAs and Co-op students for their placement in laboratory courses for which the Instructor is responsible;
• Meets regularly with the TAs and other teaching supports to provide them with direction/instruction/explanation regarding laboratory concepts/objectives and marking;
• Trains, manages and supervises weekly TA activities, including organizing and executing the Teaching Assistant Workshop twice yearly;
• Mentors both graduate and undergraduate Teaching Assistants and other teaching supports regarding teaching;
• Trains the TAs on the particular safety aspects of the laboratories;
• Ensures that TAs and other teaching support staff are trained regarding concepts with which they may not be fully familiar and that they fully comprehend the equipment and procedures to be used;
• Designs marking schemes and/or rubrics for the TAs;
• Provides help to undergraduate students on an individual basis as needed, and reassigns students who have missed their laboratory sections;
• Co-ordinates feedback regarding potential problems in the laboratories and tutorials;
• Evaluates performance of Teaching Assistants and other teaching support staff at the end of each term.

Safety Administration
• Establishes, administers, and enforces safety standards and regulations including WHMIS requirements and UW Safety policies and procedures to ensure a safe laboratory setting for students and TAs;
• Update posted safety procedures including WHMIS, hazardous waste disposal etc. in the laboratories;
• Ensures that the laboratory is kept clean and maintains a safe laboratory environment;
• Maintains personal certifications as required by the Safety Office.

Required Qualifications

Education
• PhD in Biology is required..

Experience
• Minimum of two years' teaching experience is required in a laboratory and/or classroom setting. Strong background in anatomy instruction aligned with modern biological and biomedical training is required, including strengths in cell biology and microbiology. .

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
• Demonstrated understanding of safe chemical handling as well as Health and Safety and emergency procedures in a laboratory environment is required;
• Ability to demonstrate the proper use of a variety of laboratory equipment in normal use in Biology labs, including but not limited to: microscopes, centrifuge, spectrophotometer, balance, heating/stirring block, and pipettors;
• Experience troubleshooting and working with scientific equipment is preferred;
• Experience with molecular and microbiology techniques;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills required;
• Knowledge of modern tools for online pedagogy is an asset for the successful tenure of this position;
• Organizational, technical, analytical, and multi-tasking skills are essential.

About University of Waterloo

The University of Waterloo is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on 404 hectares of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates three satellite campuses and four affiliated university colleges. The university offers academic programs administered by six faculties and thirteen faculty-based schools. Waterloo operates the largest post-secondary co-operative education program in the world, with over 20,000 undergraduate students enrolled in the university's co-op program. Waterloo is a member of the U15, a group of research-intensive universities in Canada. The institution originates from the Waterloo College Associate Faculties, established on 4 April 1956; a semi-autonomous entity of Waterloo College, which was an affiliate of the University of Western Ontario. This entity formally separated from Waterloo College and was incorporated as a university with the passage of the University of Waterloo Act by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1959. It was established to fill the need to train engineers and technicians for Canada's growing postwar economy. It grew substantially over the next decade, adding a faculty of arts in 1960, and the College of Optometry of Ontario, which moved from Toronto in 1967. The university is a co-educational institution, with approximately 36,000 undergraduate and 6,200 postgraduate students enrolled there in 2020. Alumni and former students of the university can be found across Canada and in over 150 countries; with a number of award winners, government officials, and business leaders having been associated with Waterloo. Waterloo's varsity teams, known as the Waterloo Warriors, compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the U Sports.
Learn more about University of Waterloo

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at University of Waterloo

More Education, Government & Non-Profit Jobs

Find similar Lab Instructor, BioMedical Science jobs: