Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist

Class Specifications – I.25
Principal Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist – 9541
Senior Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist – 9542
Associate Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist – 9543
Assistant Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist – 9544

September, 1973

Series Concept

The Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist performs and/or supervises the performance of inhalation toxicology programs for laboratory and experimental facilities; supervises and/or coordinates the conduct of individual laboratory tests and long-range studies in inhalation toxicology; tests candidate chemicals, mixtures of chemicals or their pyrolysis products; coordinates with engineering personnel to design, construct, test, and evaluate analytical instrumentation, equipment, and instrumentation systems, and inhalation exposure chambers and their related air supply and contaminant removal systems; creates and/or performs tests on and evaluates results of innovative research methods in the areas of analytical chemistry and toxicology; and performs other related duties as required.

Positions in this series are characterized by the application of theoretical, statistical, and analytical approaches in determining the feasibility of innovative methods of experimentation with consideration of such factors as system precision, reliability, configuration, and cost, and in determining the toxicity of industrial chemicals and polluted environments with emphasis on the study of such factors as the levels of intoxication of biological systems, skin irritation, induced allergic manifestations, and behavioral changes. In view of the technical nature of the work, it is advisable to consult with persons knowledgeable in the inhalation chemist/toxicology field when considering positions for allocation to the classes in this series.

Incumbents typically are assigned responsibility for the coordination of the analytical chemical or the toxicological aspects of toxicology research projects involving the creation, selection, or development of the overall experimental and/or analytical methods to be used. Incumbents assemble and test instrumentation for monitoring of toxic environments to determine the concentration of gases, vapors, or aerosols; procure and test related experimental equipment, including the logistics of animal and contaminant supplies; provide professional analytical chemical (or toxicological) information and advice to principal investigators, scientific management team members, faculty and research personnel, laboratory and technical personnel, vendors and extramural funding agencies as well as personnel charged with administrative responsibility for research; create, select, develop and determine the specific experimental methods including the selection of animal species and biomedical test methods for the determination of toxic responses to environmental contaminants, or the coordination with engineering personnel in the design of electronic and/or optical instruments for chemical analysis; and record and reduce test data for method development and evaluation purposes and for preparation of reports with respect to experimental protocols, accuracy end performance of analytical instrumentation and experimental results.

The Inhalation research Chemist/Toxicologist series includes professionals with expertise in the areas of chemistry and toxicology and therefore includes recognition of these sub-specialties by use of chemist or toxicologist in the job title.

The chemist sub-specialty includes analytical, theoretical, biological; environmental, and industrial chemical specialties. The fields of application include the physical sciences, biological sciences and medicine, and newly-emerging interdisciplinary teaching and research efforts. Other branches of chemistry and fields of application may be included, when equivalent technical knowledge and skills are required or are recognized as distinct occupations.

The toxicology sub-specialty includes applied biology, physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, industrial hygiene, and medical specialties. The fields of application include the entire gamut of physical, biological, and medical sciences and newly-emerging interdisciplinary teaching and research efforts. Other branches of toxicology and fields of application may be included when equivalent technical knowledge and skills are required or are recognized as distinct occupations.

Class Concepts

Principal Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist

Incumbents are responsible to a principal investigator or research facility administrator for planning, organizing, and supervising the work of professional chemistry, toxicology and support staffs engaged in inhalation toxicology research programs. They coordinate and direct the creation of innovative experimental methods and the development and testing of inhalation toxicology laboratory facilities, analytical equipment and instrument systems; represent the officer or researcher to whom they are responsible at meetings and conferences involving campus, University, and extramural funding agency levels of authority in matters related to toxicology program planning considerations, analytical chemistry considerations, and financial requirements dependent on these considerations; and carry major responsibility for accomplishment of a variety of research objectives in relationships with investigators, vendors, contractors, and University staff members, as a principal assistant to the faculty investigator or research administrator in charge.

Examples of assignments allocated to this level of difficulty and responsibility are:

• As supervisor of the professional toxicology and/or chemistry and related technical support staffs of an inhalation toxicology research laboratory facility, incumbent provides biomedical and toxicological analyses services to teaching and research units in the health sciences, with responsibility for all toxicology and/or chemistry specialties engaged, activities of technical and engineering personnel, and successful fiscal management of the enterprise.
• As supervisor of the professional toxicology and/or chemistry and technical support staff of an environmental toxicology research laboratory facility, incumbent provides toxicology and/or chemistry services for biological experiments involving major investments in inhalation chambers and bio-instrumentation systems, with responsibility for all toxicology and/or chemistry specialties engaged, activities of technical personnel, monitoring of contracted services, coordination of scheduling commitments with experimental objectives and technical design criteria, and successful fiscal management.

As a Principal Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist, incumbent writes or supervises the writing of experimental operational procedures; examines and evaluates reports written by toxicologists and chemists and organizes information obtained during the course of an experiment, insuring proper preparation for inclusion in research notebooks, reports, or other publications; interprets data and prepares or supervises preparation of reports and scientific publications; prepares and delivers technical papers at annual conferences and other professional meetings; and analyzes experimental results for validity.

Principal level assignments typically carry toxicology and/or chemistry management responsibility coordinating all scientific specialties engaged, which necessitates the effective integration of all sub-systems and toxicology fields, (such as mechanistic, inhalation and behavioral), chemistry fields, (such as environmental, analytical, and biological); and engineering fields (design, construction and analysis). The professional staff supervised typically includes three or more Inhalation Research Chemists/Toxicologists, including one or more at the Associate level.

The Principal level is distinguished from the Senior level by the following:

1. Overall management responsibility for fiscal, scheduling, and operational aspects of a variety of major experimental efforts;
2. Overall supervision of professional, technical, and laboratory personnel within the sub-specialty of chemistry or toxicology;
3. A broad but highly developed and well-recognized expertise in each of several highly specialized areas of inhalation toxicology research and research management;
4. Overall independent creative responsibility for the development of experimental procedural outlines for major research programs, and for preparation of reports and publications relating to results of those programs.

Senior Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist

Under direction, incumbents assist a campus or research facility administrator, principal investigator, or Principal Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist in planning, organizing, supervising, and/or performing the work of a professional toxicology or chemistry staff engaged in a specialized phase of an inhalation toxicology research program; represent the officer to whom they are responsible at meetings and conferences involving campus, University, and extramural funding agency levels of authority in matters related to program planning considerations and financial requirements dependent on toxicity problems under consideration; and carry major responsibility for accomplishment of individual research objectives in relationships with investigators, vendors, contractors and University staff members, as a senior assistant to the Principal Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist or faculty investigator in charge.

Examples of assignments allocated to this level of difficulty and responsibility are:

• Supervisor of one of the toxicology specialty functions (behavioral, systemic, mechanistic, or industrial) of the toxicology staff of a major research program, or of one of the chemistry specialty functions (analytical, environmental, or biological) of the chemistry staff of a major research program, in which two or more toxicology (or chemistry) specialties are required and recognized.
• Supervisor of the professional toxicology (or chemistry) staff and their respective related technical and laboratory support staffs, of an inhalation toxicology research facility, providing toxicology and/or chemistry services to faculty members and investigators, with responsibility for the toxicology and/or chemistry specialty engaged, activities of technical and laboratory personnel, and successful technical achievements within time and financial constraints.

Senior level assignments typically carry responsibility for the supervision for the supervision of Associate, Assistant, and/or Junior inhalation Research Chemists/Toxicologists as well as technical and laboratory personnel involved in the conduct of animal exposures to environmental contaminants, in the assembly and testing of analytical, contaminant generation and monitoring equipment and instruments.

As a Senior Inhalation Research Toxicologist, incumbent creates experimental procedure outlines for specialized experiments; supervises the conduct of acute and chronic toxicological experiments by the inhalation, oral, percutaneous or injection routes and observes and measures toxicological effects through use of classical or newly developed sophisticated physiological, pharmacological, biochemical, or behavioral techniques; directs and evaluates the work of professionals and technicians observing and caring for experimental animals and their environs; and prepares technical reports describing experimental planning, conduct and results for adaptation for publication or presentation at professional meetings.

As a Senior Inhalation Research Chemist, incumbent creates experimental procedure outlines for specialized experiments; supervises a group of research chemists in the development of new analytical methodology for monitoring trace quantities of chemicals in air or water and evaluates the work of those supervised; conducts highest level independent research projects on chemical characterization of new compounds, methods of analyses and generation techniques for aerosolization or dispersion of these materials; and prepares research reports, lectures and journal publications of the results of the independent research projects.

Non-supervisory assignments at the senior level are reserved for specialists who are widely recognized and consulted by University staff members and other professionals in the field for their expert knowledge of a toxicology or chemistry specialty field and/or field of application.

The criterion for allocation a non-supervisory assignment to the senior level may be met by one of the following:

1. Application of technical knowledge and skills in a toxicology or chemistry specialty field to a variety of research efforts, involving the integration of substantial scientific subject matter knowledge and toxicology or chemistry expertise.
2. Application of technical knowledge and skills in more than one toxicology or chemistry specialty field to a highly specialized field of application, involving the integration of substantial scientific subject matter, knowledge and toxicology or chemistry expertise.

The Senior level is distinguished from the Associate level by the following:

1. Directed management responsibility for fiscal and operational aspects of experimental efforts in a specific ares of research, including the coordination of scheduling related experiments within the framework of the specialty under study;
2. Direct supervision of Associate, Assistant, and junior levels and indirect supervisory responsibility for technical or laboratory support staffs;
3. A highly-developed and well-recognized expertise in one or more highly-specialized areas of chemistry or toxicology;
4. Creative responsibility for the development of experimental procedural outlines and experimental equipment for specific research efforts within the specialized field, for analysis of the procedures and equipment, and for the preparation of reports and publications relating to results of the experiments.

Associate Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist

Under direction, incumbents perform all or many of the duties indicated for the series under the Series Concept. This is the full professional level at which incumbents are expected to operate rather independently in a specialized toxicology or chemistry phase of a major inhalation toxicology research facility. Supervision over such positions is usually exercised by a Senior or Principal Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist or a faculty investigator.

Associate level assignments typically carry responsibility for supervision and/or coordination of technical and laboratory personnel involved in planning and implementation of toxicology investigations in chemical analysis, contaminant generation and monitoring of toxicology chamber environments, assembly and test of experimental equipment, and evaluation of experimental results. These assignments typically do not carry responsibility for supervision of other professional toxicologists or chemists, although this kind of responsibility is not precluded in a training and development assignment leading to a Senior level position.

Associate level assignments typically require concentration in a scientific field of application where scientific subject matter knowledge is relevant to establishing toxicity experimental criteria or chemistry methods development. This kind of knowledge of the field of application is usually attained through several years of experience as a Junior and/or Assistant Inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist in the specific field of application.

Other kinds of professional toxicology or chemistry endeavors may be recognized at the Associate level, when they involve comparable technical skills and knowledge in such applications as environmental or behavioral analysis, biological mechanisms research; analytical methods development, design of contaminant generation systems, and analytical instrumentation for gases, vapors and aerosols.

Examples of assignments allocated to this level of difficulty and responsibility are:

• Develops experimental procedural outlines for individual oral, dermal or inhalation toxicity investigations required in support of a major research effort involving substantial investments of staff time and facilities, with responsibility for liaison and coordination through logistics of animal and contaminant procurement, systems check-out, exposure, animal testing, and evaluation of experimental results.
• Develops an instrumentation system required in support of a major research effort, involving substantial investments in staff time and equipment, with responsibility for chemistry liaison and coordination through construction, assembly, and testing; and supervises a technical support staff of an inhalation toxicology research laboratory facility, providing chemistry services to faculty members and investigators, with responsibility for the chemistry specialty engaged, activities of technical and laboratory personnel, and successful technical achievements within time and financial constraints.
  Develops or modifies analytical methods for atmospheric or biological monitoring of trace concentrations of chemicals used in toxicological research and methods for monitoring biological effects of these chemicals; develops techniques for separation and identification of complex chemical mixtures; develops or modifies techniques for atmospheric generation of gases, aerosols or vapors of chemicals for animal exposures; and selects and calibrates analytical instrumentation suitable for continuous or batch monitoring air-borne trace-level chemical contaminants.
  Analyzes experimental data to define accuracy and precision of new methods; surveys literature for information of new methods or chemicals; reports sampling data for further analysis; and arranges for the selection and procurement of laboratory animals, specifying age, sex, weight, and other factors as appropriate.

The Associate level is distinguished from the Assistant level by the following:

1. Responsibility for compiling information on fiscal and operational aspects of experimental efforts in a specific area of research;
2. Direct supervisory responsibility for technical and laboratory support staffs assigned to specific experiments and for the execution of those experiments;
3. A strong level of expertise in a high-specialized area of chemistry or toxicology with a strong general background in related specialized areas;
4. Creative responsibility for the development of specific experimental procedures or equipment to be used within or in conjunction with a larger experimental effort, for analysis of the procedures or equipment, and for the compilation of data and information to be used in the preparation of reports and publications relating to the experiment.

Assistant inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist

Under general supervision, incumbents create and prepare toxicity study protocols and conduct oral, dermal, and inhalation toxicity studies, supervising laboratory personnel involved in this activity; participate in the collection for statistical analysis of experimental data or in the solution of physical problems of inhalation toxicity chamber exposures; prepare chemistry methodology plans and specifications for novel laboratory equipment and instruments; coordinate assembly of laboratory and field testing of equipment and instruments; and participate in the analysis of experimental data or in the mathematical solution of physical and chemical problems.

Assignments at this level are expected to be of moderate difficulty and responsibility with work subject to checking and review by a Principal or Senior inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist or principal investigator with comparable qualifications.

Incumbents typically are expected to progress to the class of Associate inhalation Research Chemist/Toxicologist.

The Assistant level is distinguished from the Junior level by the following:

1. Responsibility as assigned for investigating certain aspects of specific research programs;
2. Responsibility for assisting in training of Junior professional, technical and laboratory personnel as assigned;
3. A strong general background in chemistry or toxicology with previous research experience in a specialized area;
4. Responsibility for the execution as assigned of specific experimental procedures, testing of equipment, and developing proposals for new experimental procedures to be considered and for supervising the recording of date to be compiled for reports.

Minimum Qualifications

Principal Inhalation Research Toxicologist

Graduation from college with major work in a toxicology specialty and six years of toxicology experience in the planning, development, and conduct of inhalation toxicology research including three years of progressively difficult supervisory responsibility; or an equivalent combination of additional education and experience.

Principal Inhalation Research Chemist

Graduation from college with major work in chemistry and six years of chemistry experience in the planning and development of analytical methods, including three years of specialized development work; or an equivalent combination of additional education and experience.

Senior Inhalation Research Toxicologist

Graduation from college with major work in a toxicology specialty and five years of toxicology experience in the planning, development, and conduct of inhalation toxicology research programs, including two years of progressively difficult supervisory responsibility; or an equivalent combination of additional education and experience.

Senior Inhalation Research Chemist

Graduation from college with major work in chemistry and five years of experience in the planning, development, and implementation of analytical methods development, including two years in specialized work at the Associate level; or an equivalent combination of additional education and experience.

Associate inhalation Research Toxicologist

Graduation from college with major work in a toxicology specialty and three years of toxicology experience, including one year of inhalation toxicology research work; or an equivalent combination of additional education and experience.

Associate Inhalation Research Chemist

Graduation from college with major work in chemistry and three years of experience, including one year of responsible work at the Assistant level; or an equivalent combination of additional education and experience.

Assistant Inhalation Research Toxicologist

Graduation from college with major work in a toxicology specialty and two years of experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Assistant Inhalation Research Chemist

Graduation from college with major work in chemistry and two years of experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.