• TAs must be available for tutorials, labs, office hours, invigilation and marking of midterms and finals, where applicable
• For courses with tutorials, prepare for each tutorial, facilitate and/or lead tutorials and perform all related duties required for effective conduct of the tutorial
• For course with labs, have experience reviewing and assessing laboratory reports for written quality and technical accuracy, be willing to proactively assist students and be able to provide constructive written or oral feedback on work submitted by students in the course. Most courses include marking and require the ability to provide constructive written feedback on work submitted by students
• TAs are expected to hold office hours for some courses which require the ability to assist students with understanding course material and assignment requirements

General Requirements:

• Applicants must have sufficient written and one-to-one oral communications skills in order to support students and instructors throughout the semester whether in-person or by email
• Applicants must have sufficient time management and organizational skills – this is of particular concern for courses with tutorials or labs
• Applicants must have sufficient knowledge in the discipline of the course to interpret the course material and competency in oral and written English
• Applicants must download the “Self-Assessment Qualification Sheet”. Starting Summer 2023, SEE TA applicants will be required to upload a completed copy of this form with their applications. Applicants should be sure to only select those qualifications that they have met and are demonstrated within their CV/applications. This will help course instructors to better assess their qualifications and the School to make better assignments.

Education Requirements:

• Applicants must have an undergraduate degree in engineering or an equivalent post-secondary degree from a recognized institution OR demonstrated industry experience specific to the course(s) applied for. Applicants must have sufficient knowledge in the discipline of the course to interpret the course material and pre-requisites in order to provide optimum TA support for students and course instructors.
• Applicants can be senior undergraduate students who have a better than average overall CGPA who can demonstrate competence through courses taken. Applicants must have sufficient knowledge in the discipline of the course to interpret the course material and pre-requisites in order to provide optimum TA support for students and course instructors.

Specific Course Requirements:

SEE 221- Statics and Mechanics Materials – Sami Khan

Required skills:

• Successful completion of at least one undergraduate course in solid mechanics (topics such as equilibrium of rigid body, trusses, centroid and center of gravity, moments, beams)
• Successful completion of at least one undergraduate course in materials science (topics such as stress-strain, moduli of elasticity, friction)
• Demonstrated practical application of statics and mechanics of materials in a laboratory environment or any other hands-on practical environment

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SEE 230 – Electrical Circuits – Mahda Jahromi (last taught by Amir Shabani)

Required skills:

• Knowledge of lab safety practices and safe work procedures  
• Proficiency in AC circuit analysis, phase angle measurement and drawing/reading phasor diagrams 
• Working experience with multi-channel scopes, Digital Multimeters, chokes (inductors) and capacitors 
• Currency in AC power calculations including Active, Reactive and Apparent Power. 
• At least one advanced course in electric / electronic circuits completed at the senior undergraduate / graduate level, or equivalent
• Proficiency with software tools for simulation of electric circuits (e.g. PSpice, MATLAB etc.)

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SEE 241 – Measurement, Analysis and Forecasting – Manpreet Kaur   

Required skills:

• Knowledge of engineering measurement and statistics, including sampling, probability, analysis, hypothesis testing, experimental design and statistical process control
• At least one course in engineering statistics completed at the undergraduate level, or equivalent
• Experience with software tools for statistical analysis (e.g. Excel, Matlab, R)
• Ability to lead lab sessions, and has good written and verbal communication skills

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SEE 300 – The Business of Engineering – Mina Xu 

Required skills:

• Knowledge of engineering economics including: financial statements, time value of money, development and analysis of project cash flows, return on investment, net present value and internal rate of return, depreciation and corporate income taxes, risk and uncertainty.
• Completion of at least one course in engineering economics at the undergraduate level.
• Experience with software tools (e.g. Microsoft Excel) for economic analysis, including risk and uncertainty.
• Experience in evaluation of written reports and presentations.
• Ability to conduct tutorials, provide constructive feedback, and has good communication skills

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SEE 310 – Integrated Energy Solution II – Taco Niet   

Required skills:

• Experience with planning and design of energy/electricity systems.
• Knowledge of systems modelling tools (familiar with models such as Energy Planning and Optimization, Building Energy Modelling, CGE, Partial Equilibrium, Power Systems Models).
• Ability to lead lab groups and project groups through modelling challenges.  Previous experience guiding group work would be an asset.
• Experience providing constructive feedback to students in person and in writing.

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SEE 324 – Heat and Mass Transfer for Energy Engineering – Colin Copeland 

Required skills:

• Knowledge of lab safety practices and safe work procedures 
• Ability to lead lab sessions 
• Good knowledge of linear/nonlinear ordinary/partial differential equations
• Deep knowledge of heat and mass transfer concepts, e.g. steady-state and transient 1D, 2D and 3D heat/mass diffusion in solids, lump systems, internal and external natural convection, internal and external forced convection, boiling and condensation, radiation, etc.
• Successful completion of a course in heat transfer and/or demonstrated application of the principles of heat transfer in a research or professional environment.
• Technical report writing experience an asset
• General knowledge of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics an asset

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SEE 331 – Power Electronics – Mariana Resener

Required skills:

• Knowledge of lab safety practices and safe work procedures  
• Knowledge of power electronic circuits and operation principals of rectifiers, choppers and inverters 
• Working experience with multi-channel scopes and digital multimeters 
• At least one advanced course in electric/electronic circuits completed in undergraduate/graduate studies
• Ability to lead lab sessions 
• Knowledge and experience with software tools for simulation of electric circuits (e.g. PSIM, PSpice) or general analysis (e.g. MATLAB-SIMULINK)   

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SEE 332 – Power Systems Analysis and Design – Mariana Resener

Required skills:

• Knowledge of lab safety practices and safe work procedures
• Working experience with multi-channel scopes 
• Knowledge and experience with software tools for simulation of electric circuits (e.g. PSIM, PowerWorld, PSS/E) and general analysis (e.g. Excel, Matlab)
• At least one advanced course in electric circuits completed in undergraduate/graduate studies
• Knowledge of AC power calculations and AC electric circuit analysis
• Ability to lead lab sessions
• Basic knowledge of power systems analysis is an asset

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SEE 341 – Signals and Systems – Amir Shabani 

Required skills:

• Knowledge of lab safety practices and safe work procedures 
• Knowledge and experience with engineering software tool, MATLAB  
• Completed at least one course related to Signal and Systems or DSP completed in undergraduate/ graduate studies  
• Good knowledge of both analog and digital signal processing techniques 
• Ability to lead lab sessions, conduct tutorials, provide constructive feedback, and has good communication skills  

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SEE 342 – Feedback Control System – Mahda Jahromi

Required skills:

• Knowledge of lab safety practices and safe work procedures  
• Ability to be flexible with duties based on faculty and student needs 
• Proficiency with transfer functions, stability analysis and associated math (Laplace transform, partial fractions, Mason’s rules and Laplace theorems) 
• Knowledge of PID/Lead/Lag controllers, root-locus and pole placement design methods  
• At least one advanced course in Electric Machines and Feedback Control Systems completed at the senior undergraduate/graduate level, or equivalent 
• Proficiency with software tools for or general analysis (e.g. MATLAB-SIMULINK)
• Working experience with Quanser products is an asset 

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 SEE 351 – Bioprocess Engineering Systems – Zafar Adeel

Required skills:

• Knowledge of bioprocesses, including a thorough understanding of underlying concepts of kinetics in batch and continuous systems
• Experience in design and control of bioreactors
• Hands-on experience of running bioreactors in laboratory settings, preferably including instrumentation, monitoring and control systems
• Successful completion of a course in biochemical processes at undergraduate or graduate level or equivalent experience
• Experience in implementing lab safety requirements and protocols in an undergraduate laboratory environment   

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SEE 352 – Applied Thermodynamics and Energy Conversion – Mehran Ahmadi 

Required skills:

• Knowledge of Thermodynamics concepts, e.g., Carnot cycle, exergy and availability, power cycles, refrigeration cycles, combustion, renewable energy generation systems, etc.
• Minimum of two completed undergraduate-level courses in Thermodynamics
• Minimum of one completed undergraduate-level course in fluid mechanics
• Minimum of one completed undergraduate-level course in heat transfer
• Knowledge of lab safety practices and safe work procedures (minimum requirement is SFU lab safety training certificate)
• Demonstrated knowledge working in the lab environment (prior lab work experience through teaching and research)
• Demonstrated knowledge of technical communication, specifically technical writing (published papers, technical reports, lab reports) 

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SEE 354 – Energy Storage – Manpreet Kaur

Required skills:

• Knowledge and experience to safely work with energy storage systems (e.g. batteries, and flywheel)
• Knowledge of lab safety practices and safe work procedures
• At least one advanced course related to energy storage systems completed at the senior undergraduate/graduate level, or equivalent
• Ability to lead lab sessions, and has good written and verbal communication skills 

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SEE 475 – Special Topic in SEE (Energy Harvesting Materials) – Vincenzo Pecunia

Required skills:

• Knowledge of energy harvesting devices (e.g., photovoltaic, piezoelectric, and triboelectric energy harvesters).
• Knowledge of working mechanisms of printable indoor photovoltaic harvesters based on organic/perovskite semiconductors.
• Laboratory experience in the fabrication and/or characterization of indoor photovoltaic energy harvesters.
• Knowledge of laboratory safety practices relevant to the fabrication and characterization of printable solar cells.
  
• Demonstrated knowledge of technical communication, specifically technical writing (e.g., peer-reviewed research papers).

 

Priority for appointment/reappointment as a TA is in accordance with Article XIII of the Collective Agreement with the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU).

Per section XIII F3. 1(a), priority must be given to applicants in the following order:

1. Graduate students registered in SEE
2. Graduate students registered in other departments
3. Undergraduate or external students

In allocating TA positions, SEE will also take into account the following:

• Instructor requests
• Applicant’s preferences
• Amount of financial support offered on admission to the graduate program
• Suitability for particular courses (e.g. discipline of prior degree(s), publications, experience)
• Employment evaluations
• Number of base units already received to ensure sufficient teaching-related experience in applicant’s field

If an assignment within a priority group requires a selection between applicants, the graduate student without financial support from merit based scholarships or merit based fellowships during the semester of appointment with a value equal to at least a 5.17 appointment, will have priority for the appointment. For specific information please refer to the TSSU Collective Agreement.

• Applicants must review and understand TA requirements for all courses 
• Applicants must have completed SFU EHS Safety Essentials (formerly General Lab Safety) training and submit a valid certificate of completion
• International applicants must submit a copy of their Study/Work Permit that is valid for the entire semester for which they are applying
• Non-SEE graduate student applicants must submit a current CV and unofficial transcript (not co-op transcript) at the time of application
• Applicants will be asked to indicate their course preferences at time of application 
• Applicants must declare in their TA Application Form if they will be available for the entire TA appointment semester. This will NOT be used to deny their application or alter their priority.
• SEE graduate students must use their SFU computing ID and password to login to the application system

Please ensure that you review the course calendar entry and course outline and course schedule for details about each course. All TAs must be available in-person for the duration of the semester and/or appointment dates. This includes in-person attendance at specified labs, tutorials, mid-term(s), final exam, marking sessions, etc. for the semester.

ALL steps must be completed to be considered.

Step 1. Confirm Availability

1. View the course schedule and select your course(s) of interest


2. Compare your personal academic (classes and exam)/work schedule with the undergraduate course(s) you are interested in:
   • Ensure there are no time conflicts for tutorials, labs and exam invigilation
   • Remember the location of courses is in Surrey Campus and keep commute time in mind
   • Please note that you must be both qualified and available for the course(s) you apply for
   • It is your responsibility to maintain your availability until the deadline

Step 2. Complete the Application

The TA application is delivered through a web form. Non-SEE graduate student applicants should have their resumes and unofficial transcripts (not co-op transcript) ready in PDF format to upload.

If you have any questions, please contact SEE TA Assignment Manager, by email to see_ta_support@sfu.ca.

SEE selects and appoints TAs based on criteria and principles in compliance with Collective Agreement with the Teaching Support Staff Union.

Successful candidates will be notified by email with an offer indicating Base Unit assignments and a specific deadline for acceptance or rejection. Please read in its entirety before accepting the TA offer.

The term of a TA appointment shall normally be seventeen (17) weeks from the beginning of a semester and in accordance with the University’s payroll schedule. Payroll schedules can be found on the SFU HR website. Your salary information can be accessed through SFU MyInfo.

If you are NOT in the SFU payroll system, there are important documents that you have to submit. SEE is UNABLE to process your appointment until these required documents are received within the time period specified.

Canadian candidates must submit:

1. TD1 BC Tax Credit Form
2. TD1 Federal Tax Credit Form
3. Personal Data Form
4. A void cheque OR a direct deposit form (you can request from your bank)

International candidates must submit:

1. TD1 BC Tax Credit Form
2. TD1 Federal Tax Credit Form
3. Personal Data Form
4. A void cheque OR a direct deposit form (you can request from your bank)
5. Study/Work Permit (valid for entire term you are applying for)
6. SIN Document (must be valid for entire term you’re applying for)

Please note that if your appointment is conditional, changes may occur from your acceptance of the TA offer until the 4^th week of classes. If you receive a revised offer, please respond within the time period specified.

Important milestones to note about your TA appointment:

1. First week of Class - Time Use Guidelines (TUG): Completed by the Course Supervisor in consultation with TAs to establish the required duties and responsibilities for the appointment.  Course supervisors should also review evaluation criteria with TAs.
2. Before the end of Week 5 of the semester - TA Workload Review: To be conducted by the course supervisor in consultation with TAs to ensure workload hours remaining is sufficient for the completion of the course. TA Workload Reviews are mandatory for all TAs. 
3. Throughout the semester – The Course Supervisor should be in constant communication and reviewing TA’s work progress.
4. End of the semester - TA evaluations: There will be two types of evaluations of TA performance. Both will be added to a TA’s employment file once the TA has had an opportunity to review and discuss the evaluation with their supervisor and provide comments no later than the end of the first week of classes of the following semester.

a) Evaluation by students of the course. Sample student evaluation.
b) Evaluation by the course supervisor. Sample Evaluation form. Course supervisors must review evaluation criteria with their TAs at the beginning of the semester, i.e. upon commencement of TA duties (ref. TSSU Collective Agreement - Art. XVIII A.).