Astrochemistry Jobs (NOW HIRING)

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, thus requires that such institutions must be the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.
Research Title: Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors and Detector Arrays for Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy
The work will entail: The proposed work is within the Faint Photonics group in the Applied Physics Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, CO, USA. Primary duties consist of analyzing and improving the performance of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) specifically at mid-infrared wavelengths, and developing arrays of such detectors for single-photon mid-infrared spectroscopy. This task involves both nanofabrication in a specialized "cleanroom" facility, as well as device testing and characterization in an optics setup, and installation of detectors arrays in a custom-built cryogenic spectroscopy system. The candidate for this project will also be supporting an international collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Goettingen, Germany, and the University of Aarhus in Denmark, where these cryogenic spectroscopy systems will be used for laboratory experiments in astrophysics and astrochemistry.
Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Design and fabricate new SNSPD architectures to achieve high efficiency in the 2-10 μm (mid-infrared) wavelength band.
• Test SNSPD devices using cryogenic systems and contribute to maintenance and operation of those systems.
• Contribute to international collaboration with groups in Germany and Denmark.
• Develop optical testing setups for measuring system detection efficiency at mid-infrared wavelengths
• Publish results in peer-reviewed journals.
• Present results at conferences.

Qualifications

• PhD in physics, electrical engineering, or a related field
• No additional experience beyond a Ph.D. degree is required.
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Expertise in one or more of the following is desired
  • SNSPD design, fabrication and testing
  • Design and operation of cryogenic systems
  • Vacuum and high-vacuum systems
  • RF electronics and circuit design
  • CAD/CAM software such as Solidworks
  • Programming using Python and/or Labview

Privacy Act StatementAuthority: 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3) and 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c)
Purpose: The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) which is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor's degree holders, graduate students, master's degree holders, postdocs, and faculty.
PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratories and participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborative research relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of higher education in the following disciplines including (but may not be limited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, and statistics. This collection of information is needed to facilitate administrative functions of the PREP Program.
Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected to perform the requisite reviews of the applications to determine eligibility, and to meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1: NIST Associates.
Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. When you submit the form, you are indicating your voluntary consent for NIST to use of the information you submit for the purpose stated.
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PREP0004643