Sensor Development Engineer

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field
• Over 5 years of experience in new product development
• Over 3 years of experience in the dental space
• Familiar with the project Design and Fabrications of a Smart Bite Device for Assisting the Source of Jaw Pain
• Experience with soft materials, polymers (e.g., PDMS), or flexible electronics
• Hands‑on experience with sensor fabrication and experimental characterization
• Familiarity with mechanical and electrical testing techniques
• Strong documentation, data analysis, and technical communication skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with strain gauges, piezoresistive sensors, or wearable/flexible sensing systems
• Knowledge of dental, craniofacial, or biomedical device applications
• Prior experience supervising or mentoring student researchers
• Prototype development and process scale‑up experience

Position Overview:

The Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center (BMDC) facilitates moving healthcare technology from idea to commercialization. Stakeholders from around the University including M Health Fairview clinicians, research faculty, research staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students come to BMDC for guidance and resources on solving healthcare needs. Some ideas are vague, some are well-formed, some are advanced, and some are in the early stages of development.

The BMDC is seeking a Sensor Development Engineer to lead the design, fabrication, and characterization of a novel flexible sensor array for dentition measurement applications for the project Design and Fabrications of a Smart Bite Device for Assisting the Source of Jaw Pain UMN-BMDC-2025-115 which has funding until November 30, 2026. This project focuses on developing silver (Ag)–impregnated PDMS strain sensors capable of measuring dentition interactions and interfaces. The resulting technology will support applications including bruxism and TMJ disorder evaluation, surgical planning, and advanced dental treatments.

The role will be responsible for delivering a proof‑of‑concept prototype sensor array and defining specifications and manufacturing processes for future product development. The position also includes oversight and technical management of a student worker supporting fabrication and characterization activities.

Location and Work environment: This position is hybrid. Per UMN policy, work may be done remotely when appropriate and approved by your manager. All UMN employees are expected to follow applicable public health and safety procedures.

Job Duties/Responsibilities:

50%: Technical Development

• Design, fabricate, and iterate on Ag‑PDMS strain gauge and sensor array architectures.
• Establish materials processing methods for silver‑impregnated PDMS structures.
• Conduct mechanical, electrical, and performance characterization of sensor components.
• Validate sensor performance against defined specifications and project objectives.
• Develop and document sensor designs, specifications, and fabrication workflows.

25%: Project Execution & Reporting

• Plan and execute project activities in alignment with defined milestones.
• Prepare technical documentation, characterization reports, and final project summaries.
• Identify scalable production processes and considerations for future device manufacturing.

Project Milestones:

• Milestone 1: Project equipment setup; design and fabrication of initial working prototype
• Milestone 2: Development of student worker procedures and finalized performance specifications
• Milestone 3: Management of student worker and completion of assigned fabrication and testing tasks
• Milestone 4: Final sensor array characterization and comprehensive reporting

25%: Student Worker Oversight

• Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) and work instructions for a student worker.
• Train, supervise, and manage student contributions to fabrication and characterization tasks.
• Ensure quality, safety, and consistency in student‑performed work.

The BMDC is an interdisciplinary program that sits within the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM). The BMDC brings together expertise from the College of Science and Engineering and the Health Sciences (the Medical School, School of Dentistry, College of Veterinary Medicine, School of Nursing, and College of Pharmacy). The BMDC combines basic research, applied and translational research, education and training, and outreach and public engagement related to medical devices.

The BMDC Industry Collaborations group engages with local, national and global companies to partner industry and academia to discover unmet clinical needs.
The BMDC MedWorx™ and Protoyping Facility supports researchers, clinicians and engineers in their efforts to resolve clinical needs. Services include 3D Printing, 3D Scanning, Engineering/CAD, Segmentation and Virtualization (VR).

The BMDC Innovation Fellows Program is a full- immersion educational and product development program for medical device creation. The goal of the program is to train Fellows to be med-tech leaders by fostering leadership and teaching risk management as relates to medical devices.

Our vision is to develop and evaluate innovative, effective acute trauma care from point of injury through early post-injury in austere, low resource, rural, and emergency care settings by creating a multidisciplinary, translational research center that brings together trauma and emergency care research across the state of Minnesota into a single entity and develops faculty and trainee research careers.

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by Forbes as a Best Employer for Company Culture (2026), Best Employer for Women (2023), and Best Employer by State (2022-2026). In 2026, we also received Culture Excellence & Industry Awards recognition for employee appreciation and work-life flexibility.