Part Time Director of Robotics and Technical Research

The Opportunity

The Director of Robotics and Technical Research is a senior technical leader responsible for advancing fabrication-based research, teaching, and innovation across the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. This role oversees the operation, integration, and strategic development of advanced robotics, digital fabrication systems, and emerging technologies to support interdisciplinary research and academic programs.

In this role, you will develop and implement workflows that enable faculty and graduate students to leverage robotics and advanced fabrication in their research and coursework. You will provide expert consultation on project design and execution, including prototyping strategies, custom tooling, robotic programming, and system integration, while ensuring adherence to safety standards and best practices.

The Director leads the day-to-day oversight of robotics and specialized fabrication infrastructure, including equipment maintenance, upgrades, vendor coordination, and lifecycle planning. You will identify opportunities to expand capabilities, recommend capital investments, and stay current with evolving technologies to continuously enhance research and instructional capacity.

This position is highly collaborative and partners closely with faculty, researchers, and students across AAP disciplines, as well as with colleagues in technical shops, IT, facilities, EHS, and shared research infrastructure teams. You will also contribute to teaching and training efforts-co-developing curriculum, leading workshops, and mentoring students-helping to build technical fluency and innovation across the college.

As a key member of the Office of Strategic and Technical Resources, you will help shape the vision for advanced fabrication and robotics at AAP, fostering a culture of experimentation, safety, and inclusive excellence.

About the College and Unit

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University (Cornell AAP) includes the departments of Architecture, Art, City and Regional Planning, the Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate, jointly led by AAP and the SC Johnson College of Business, the multicollege Department of Design Tech, and the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities. The college spans three locations in Ithaca, New York City, and Rome, Italy, each with world-class facilities and cutting-edge technologies.

Cornell AAP is about acts of transformation. We are committed to reimagining and reshaping the world in new ways, every day. A vital college at one of the nation's foremost research universities, Cornell AAP brings faculty, staff, and students together from around the world to take up some of today's most urgent challenges and advance research, inquiry, and collaborative approaches to designing, making, and doing that make a more just and resilient future.

The Office of Strategic and Technical Resources within Cornell AAP supports cutting-edge research, teaching, and fabrication across global locations in Ithaca, New York City, and Rome, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.

What We Need

• Bachelor's degree with 5-7 years of relevant experience (or equivalent combination)
• Experience supporting technical research or instruction in architecture, design, art, or digital fabrication
• Advanced knowledge of fabrication technologies, robotics systems, and related software/tools
• Experience developing custom tooling, robotic integrations, or similar technical solutions
• Understanding of safety practices (including PPE, SDS, and regulatory compliance)
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, collaborative academic environment
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively with faculty, students, and staff
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and collaborative environment

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it's ok if you don't.

• Master's degree in architecture, design, art, engineering, or a related field
• Experience in higher education or research lab environments
• Familiarity with tools such as Robot Rapid Code, C+, RhinoCAM, Grasshopper, or similar platforms
• Experience teaching or co-teaching technical or design-based courses
• Experience managing budgets, equipment lifecycle planning, or capital recommendations

This role is part time at 50% FTE.

Rewards and Benefits

Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, and sustainability.

• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell.
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell:

Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

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