Job No. 157831
- Job Title:
- AI Technology Specialist
- Employer:
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University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- Location:
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Twin Cities , MN
- Posting Date:
- 25-Feb-2026
- Description:
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Primary Responsibilities:
AI Project Coordination and Technical Support (45%)
Provide technical support to AI Makerspace users and student workers for University-provided artificial intelligence (AI) tools including Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and NotebookLM.
Manage the project intake process by leading weekly reviews to determine the viability of student and staff project proposals.
Serve as the main point of escalation for student workers who need help with technical troubleshooting or resource approvals.
Help design and implement internal AI tools, such as Gemini Gems, to improve makerspace operations and administrative tasks.
Guide users on the implementation of open source models from HuggingFace and other repositories.
Execute and assist others with NVIDIA DGX playbooks and high performance computing tasks.
Onboard users into our HPC environment (MSI) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure)
Serve as an on-site point of contact for student workers in the AI Makerspace and the Anderson Labs.
Hardware and Robotics Support (30%)
Provide hands-on training to AI Makerspace users and student workers for microcontrollers (ESP32) and edge devices (Raspberry Pi and NVIDIA Jetson).
Support AI Makerspace users’ robotics projects involving hardware assembly and software frameworks like ROS or ROS2.
Maintain and troubleshoot in room hardware including LIDAR sensors, computer vision stations, and local AI platforms like ComfyUI.
Perform routine maintenance on makerspace equipment and keep an accurate inventory of components and kits.
Workshops and User Training (25%)
Create and lead workshops for students and faculty on topics like prompt engineering, model fine tuning, and responsible AI use.
Help faculty design and implement AI labs and course materials that use makerspace resources.
Consult with users to brainstorm project ideas and identify the right AI tools for their specific goals.
Develop documentation, user guides, and project tutorials for the makerspace website and internal knowledge base.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
BA/BS degree plus at least two years of related experience, or a combination of related education and work experience to equal at least six years. Related education and work experience could include Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Data Science, or a related science/engineering discipline, working with AI tools, and customer service.
Experience providing direct customer service including hands-on user support and instruction
Intermediate skill with Python, bash, and common AI tools, repositories, and frameworks (NumPy, Pandas, PyTorch, HuggingFace, etc).
Experience training, modifying, and deploying AI models and tools such as text-to-speech, image-to-3d, data science tools, text-to-video, and related models.
Experience with practical implementation/integration/deployment of AI powered tools, such as local models, APIs/online services, agents, and coding assistants.
Ability to work on-site during evening hours until 8pm.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with robotics hardware and software like ROS2 or NVIDIA Jetson
Familiarity with containerization tools like Docker or Conda and python virtual environments
Experience with modern and emerging AI use cases such as RAG, VLMs, and GenAI
Experience with the NVIDIA AI hardware ecosystem including DGX Systems, DGX OS, and DGX Playbooks
Ability to support in-room A/V systems and conferencing hardware
Experience managing or coordinating technical projects
Ability to work up to 4 hours on Saturdays
About the Department
The CSE AI Makerspace is a dedicated facility within the College of Science and Engineering that provides students, faculty, and staff with the tools and computing power needed to explore and experiment with artificial intelligence concepts and technologies. Our mission is to democratize access to AI by providing high end hardware, software, and expert guidance. We support a community of makers through hands-on projects, workshops, and interdisciplinary collaboration. We focus on practical application, responsible AI use (ethical as well as environmental), and fostering a space where students can engage with AI at any level and move from ideas to practical applications.
- Contact information:
- University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- Twin Cities, MN 55455
- United States
- Employer's Website:
-
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