Spatially Resolved Soft X-ray Reflectometry Postdoctoral Fellow

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s Advanced Light Source (ALS) Division seeks a postdoctoral fellow to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of scientists on developing new spatially resolved resonant soft x-ray reflectometry and magnetic reflectometry capabilities. The role involves implementing focusing optics and advanced data analysis methods at the ALS, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national scientific user facility.

About the role

The Advanced Light Source produces exceptionally bright soft and hard x-ray, ultraviolet, and infrared light, serving thousands of academic and industrial users annually in fields such as condensed matter and quantum materials, energy sciences, biosciences, and earth and planetary sciences. The ALS is part of a collaborative environment co-located with the Molecular Foundry, NERSC supercomputing center, and other Berkeley Lab divisions. The facility is undergoing a major upgrade (ALS-U) to become a fourth-generation light source, dramatically increasing coherent soft x-ray flux and enabling microscale x-ray reflectometry to reach its full potential.

Responsibilities

• Develop instrumentation and data analysis for micro-focus soft x-ray reflectometry.
• Perform soft X-ray reflectometry experiments at beamlines 4.0.2 and/or 7.0.1.1.
• Perform data analysis in Python or similar by writing code or using established software.
• Collaborate with colleagues on machine learning-assisted analysis of large multi-dimensional datasets.
• Collaborate with other research teams and scientists.
• Publish work in peer-reviewed scientific literature.
• Present work at national and international meetings and regular group meetings.
• Contribute positively to the active research culture.
• Work safely and comply with environmental, health, and safety (EH&S) guidelines.
• Respect stewardship and promote inclusivity in interactions with others.

Requirements

• PhD in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, or equivalent.
• Sound knowledge and keen interest in x-ray scattering, diffraction, or microscopy.
• Ability to safely perform independent hands-on work in an experimental endstation.

Desired Skills

• Experience in lab or synchrotron x-ray reflectometry techniques and fitting data to existing models.
• Interest or experience in instrumentation development.
• Experience with condensed matter material systems, particularly thin films (e.g., magnetic, ferroelectric).
• Knowledge of x-ray resonant scattering and diffraction methods.
• Experience in software development for experimental control and/or scientific analysis.
• Working knowledge of high vacuum practices.

Pay

This position is represented by a union for collective bargaining purposes. The salary range is $99,192 - $110,808, with postdoctoral step rates predetermined based on years of post-Ph.D. experience. Each step represents one full year of completed postdoctoral experience.

Schedule

This is a full-time, 2-year postdoctoral appointment with the possibility of renewal based on performance, funding availability, and operational needs. Candidates must have less than 3 years of paid postdoctoral experience.

Work will be primarily performed on-site at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA. A REAL ID or other acceptable form of identification is required for site access.