Postdoctoral Research Associate on Fabrication and Measurement of Novel Quantum Devices and Phenomena

About the Role

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) seeks one or more scientifically outstanding and highly motivated postdoctoral researchers for the Quantum and Strongly Correlated Electrons Team (SCES Team), part of the Materials Physics and Applications Division's Quantum Group (MPA-Q). MPA-Q focuses on the discovery, understanding, and exploitation of quantum phenomena in materials science, measurement, computation, and secure communications. The team explores new physics through new materials, with interests including unconventional superconductivity, topological matter, quantum entanglement, dark matter detection, and quantum sensing.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform outstanding research as part of the SCES Team, focused on discovering and understanding new states of matter and developing novel sensors and quantum information science technologies from new materials.
• Fabricate devices from intermetallic f-electron thin films.
• Perform transport measurements at dilution fridge temperatures of nano- and meso-scale devices.
• Devices of immediate interest include superconducting resonators, kinetic inductance detectors, low dimensional structures, and wires.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Clean room fabrication experience:
• Developing and optimizing thin film process flows.
• Experience with techniques such as wet and dry etching, plasma ashing, e-beam and/or photolithography, and wire bonding.
• Experimental condensed matter physics or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to write peer-reviewed publications.
• Effective communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, creatively, and as part of a team.
• RF and/or nanoscale transport measurements.
• Superconducting devices.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Physics or related field completed within the past five years or soon to be completed.
• Candidate will have completed all Ph.D. requirements by commencement of the appointment.
• Desired: Experience conducting experiments under extreme conditions (e.g., low temperature, high magnetic field, and/or high pressure).
• Desired: Background in the physics of f-electron materials.
• Desired: Ability and inclination to contribute to a wide range of basic research and science programs as needs and opportunities evolve.

Work Location

• Onsite in Los Alamos, NM.

Note: Position does not require a security clearance. Selected candidates will be subject to drug testing and other pre-employment background checks.