Postdoctoral Scholar, Physics

About the University

Michigan Technological University is an R1 technological research university founded in 1885 in Houghton. Our rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's scenic Upper Peninsula and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Research focus areas include defense, health, energy, automotive, environment, and aerospace. The area’s waters, forests, and snowfall support year-round recreation, including skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, and paddling. The University is an integral part of the region, supported by a friendly and welcoming community that takes pride in being a true college town.

About the Role

The Postdoctoral Scholar position is part of a collaboration with Brookhaven National Laboratory to develop next-generation cloud chamber technology for exploring aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions. The postdoc will lead and support cloud chamber experiments, operate a range of instrumentation, and work closely with aerosol-generation systems and cloud droplet probes. Responsibilities also include data analysis and dissemination of results through presentations at professional society meetings and publications in peer-reviewed journals. Familiarity with lab experiments, optics, and AI/ML tools, especially embodied AI, is considered a plus.

This position is based at Brookhaven National Laboratory and is contingent upon the continued availability of external funding.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support chamber experiments and operate a range of instrumentation in support of cloud chamber experiments
• Conduct experiments
• Prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals
• Attend and/or present research at national and international conferences and meetings
• Collaborate with BNL scientists and the MTU cloud chamber group members and visiting scientists
• Commit to learning about continuous improvement strategies and applying them to everyday work
• Actively engage in University continuous improvement initiatives
• Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work

Requirements

• Ph.D. in atmospheric science, physics, engineering, or related field
• Experience in laboratory studies
• Ability to work in a laboratory
• Ability to troubleshoot, upgrade, and, if necessary, repair research-grade instruments
• Ability to conduct independent research as well as work in a collaborative research environment
• Clear and concise verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex concepts
• Evidence of published manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals as an author
• Evidence of presented research at national and international conferences/meetings

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency with operating research-grade laboratory instrumentation
• Hands-on experience in laboratory cloud chamber research
• Experience in instrument development suitable for laboratory research
• Familiarity with AI/ML tools as they relate to experimental control (i.e., embodied AI) and data analysis
• Demonstrated success in, or potential future contributions to, working with persons with a wide variety of backgrounds and viewpoints

Work Environment

The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Training

Every employee at Michigan Technological University will receive the following required trainings; additional training may be required by the department:

• Employee Safety Overview
• Anti-Harassment, Discrimination, Retaliation Training
• Annual Data Security Training
• Annual Title IX Training

Offers of employment are contingent upon and not considered finalized until the required background check has been performed and the results received and assessed.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $70,000 - $90,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

Schedule

• Full-Time Equivalent (FTE): 100%
• Appointment Term: 12 months
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Shift: Day