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Assistant Physicist Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Fortive

Medical Imaging Physicist

Glenwood, IL

... * Assist with regulatory compliance, and coordination with radiation safety teams and radiology ... Qualify for MQSA physics testing within 3 months of hire * Operating within a team of other ...

Until

Engineer/Applied Physicist

Mundelein, IL

$120K - $200K/yr

Strong fundamentals in both a scientific (physics, chemistry, biology) and an engineering ... These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions ...

Harper College

Physics Tutor

Palatine, IL · On-site

$25/hr

Tutor higher level Physics including, introductory, mechanics, electricity, quantum physics along with calculus courses Demonstrate subject proficiency Assist students in understanding subject ...

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How much do assistant physicist jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 14, 2026, the average hourly pay for assistant physicist in Chicago, IL is $21.41, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.83 and $21.78 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an assistant physicist, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Assistant Physicist, you need a strong background in physics, mathematics, and research methodology, typically supported by at least a bachelor's or master's degree in physics or a related field. Familiarity with laboratory equipment, data analysis software (such as MATLAB or Python), and scientific computing is often required. Analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective teamwork are crucial soft skills for success in collaborative research environments. These skills and qualities are vital for conducting precise experiments, analyzing data accurately, and contributing meaningfully to scientific advancements.

What types of projects and collaborations can an assistant physicist expect to be involved with in a research institution?

As an Assistant Physicist at a research institution, you will typically engage in both independent and team-based projects that contribute to ongoing experiments, data analysis, and theoretical modeling. Collaboration is a key aspect of the role, often involving close work with senior physicists, engineers, postdoctoral researchers, and sometimes external partners or institutions. You may regularly attend group meetings, present findings, and contribute technical expertise to interdisciplinary teams. This collaborative environment provides opportunities to learn from experienced colleagues, develop your research skills, and expand your professional network. Over time, successful project involvement can open doors to advancement within the institution or in related fields.

What is an assistant physicist?

Assistant Physicists are early-career scientists who support and contribute to research projects in the field of physics. They typically work under the supervision of senior physicists, assisting with experimental design, data collection, analysis, and the preparation of scientific reports or publications. Their work spans various areas, such as condensed matter, particle physics, or applied physics, depending on the institution or laboratory. Assistant Physicists often work at universities, national laboratories, or research institutes, and the position is usually a stepping stone toward more senior research or faculty roles.

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Infographic showing various Assistant Physicist job openings in Chicago, IL as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 77% Full Time, 19% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 96% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $44,524 per year, or $21.4 per hour.

Assistant Physicist

Argonne National Laboratory

Lemont, IL • On-site, Remote

Full-time

Re-posted 3 days ago

Job description

The X-ray Imaging Group (https://www.aps.anl.gov/Imaging) of the X-ray Science Division (XSD) operates the full-field x-ray imaging beamlines at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) (https://www.aps.anl.gov/) and pursues collaborative research across materials, energy, environmental, geo-, and life sciences using micro- and nano-tomography and high-speed imaging.

With the APS Upgrade driving a substantial increase in data rates and experimental complexity, the group is investing in AI/ML-driven software, automation, and autonomous experimentation, including a planned fully autonomous, AI-driven tomography beamline - to keep pace with user demand and unlock new science. This work is carried out in close coordination with the APS Computational science and AI (CAI) (https://cai.xray.aps.anl.gov/) group and other APS AI efforts and activities spanning data, computing, and machine learning across the facility. The appointee will benefit from access to world-leading experimental and computational resources at Argonne, including the upgraded APS and the exascale Aurora supercomputer.

We seek highly motivated candidates with strong expertise in AI/ML and in the development of AI tools for scientific operations to join the X-ray Imaging Group. The successful candidate will lead the design and deployment of AI-powered software that supports user operations, automates data acquisition and analysis, and enables closed-loop, autonomous experiments across the group's beamlines.

Position Responsibilities:

  • Design, develop, and deploy AI/ML tools for x-ray imaging operations including reconstruction, super-resolution, spatiotemporal fusion, denoising, segmentation, and feature extraction - and integrate them into the beamline software stack.

  • Build closed-loop experimental workflows in which AI agents use streaming data and real-time reconstruction and analysis to steer measurement decisions, and contribute to the development of a fully autonomous, AI-driven tomography beamline as a flagship project for the group.

  • Collaborate with the APS Computation and AI (CAI) group and engage with other APS AI efforts and activities to align Imaging Group tools with facility-wide AI/ML infrastructure, data services, and computing resources, and to contribute to shared frameworks for autonomous experimentation.

  • Develop automated pipelines for acquisition, quality control, and downstream analysis that translate beamline-scientist expertise and currently manual operational steps into robust, reusable software.

  • Build and maintain pipelines for robust metadata capture and the systematic generation of curated, standardized datasets to support continual AI/ML model training and validation.

  • Provide on-site support for user operations and data collection across the X-ray Imaging Group beamlines, working directly with beamline staff and users during experiments.

  • Contribute to the longer-term extension of AI-enabled automation and autonomy across Imaging Group modalities, including micro- and nano-tomography and high-speed imaging.

  • Prepare experiments and instruments for remote and AI-driven operation.

  • Present research results through publications, conferences, and scientific meetings.

  • May be required to perform other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements

  • Ph.D. in computer science, electrical engineering, computational physics, computational materials science, applied mathematics, or a closely related field.

  • Demonstrated expertise in AI/ML applied to imaging or scientific data, including hands-on experience developing and deploying deep-learning models (e.g., CNNs, vision transformers, diffusion models, or related architectures).

  • Strong scientific software development skills in Python and modern deep-learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow), including experience with distributed training on high-performance computing resources.

  • Experience with high-performance computing (HPC) and/or cloud environments.

  • Experience with version control (e.g., Git) and collaborative software development practices.

  • Experience working with experimental imaging data, ideally at a synchrotron, electron microscopy, medical imaging, or comparable facility.

  • Ability to work effectively both independently and in a collaborative, team-based research environment.

  • Ability to model Argonne's core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity, and teamwork.

  • Interpersonal skills, oral and written communication skills, and ability to interact with people at all levels both within and outside the laboratory.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

  • Experience developing AI/ML methods specifically for x-ray imaging, tomography, or high-speed imaging applications.

  • Experience designing or contributing to automated, remote, or closed-loop ("self-driving") experimental workflows, including real-time data reduction, on-the-fly reconstruction, and AI-based experimental steering.

  • Experience collaborating with facility-level computing, data, or AI groups to deploy software into production scientific environments.

  • Experience handling high-rate, large-volume imaging datasets and developing high-throughput reconstruction or analysis pipelines.

  • Experience contributing to open-source scientific software projects.

  • Familiarity with metadata standards, data management, and curation practices that support reproducible science and ML training datasets.

  • Familiarity with beamline data acquisition systems, detectors, or controls software, sufficient to integrate AI tools into operational workflows.

Job Family

Research Development (RD)

Job Profile

Physics 2

Worker Type

Regular

Time Type

Full timeThe expected hiring range for this position is $94,486.00 - $147,398.94.

Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, business considerations, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Additionally, comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package.

Click here to view Argonne employee benefits!

As an equal employment opportunity employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a safe and welcoming workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. Argonne encourages everyone to apply for employment. Argonne is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law.

Argonne employees, and certain guest researchers and contractors, are subject to particular restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activities, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation in the application phase for review by Argonne's Legal Department.

All Argonne offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes an assessment of criminal conviction history conducted on an individualized and case-by-case basis. Please be advised that Argonne positions require upon hire (or may require in the future) for the individual be to obtain a government access authorization that involves additional background check requirements. Failure to obtain or maintain such government access authorization could result in the withdrawal of a job offer or future termination of employment.

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