Research Associate - Canadian Neutron Beam Laboratory

Research Associate
- Canadian Neutron Beam Laboratory

Regular/Temporary

Temporary

Location

Central Campus

Open Date

2026/07/30

Job Type

Limited Term (>12 months)

Close Date

2026/09/12

Employee Group

Unifor Unit 1, Staff

Favorite Job

Department

Physics and Astronomy

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Salary Grade/Band

Grade 10

Salary Range

$38.46 - $54.06 (hourly)

Job Code

JD0969

Existing Vacancy

Yes
- Newly Created Position

Contract Duration

24.3 Months

Target Number of Openings

1

35

Schedule 35 Hours per week. 8:30A.M.

- 4:30P.M., Mondays to Fridays. A 60-minute unpaid meal period is provided each day.

Education Level PhD in a relevant field.

Career Level Requires 3 years of relevant experience.

* Anticipated Fill Date - Early October

Job Description

Should the successful applicant be a Unifor Unit 1 bargaining unit member, who meets the eligibility conditions of Article 19.02 of the Unifor Unit 1 Collective Agreement, then the Limited Term Assignment will be defined as a Career Growth Opportunity in accordance with Article 19 of the Unifor Local 5555 Unit 1 Collective Agreement.

JD #:JD0969

Unit/Project

Description:


Based at the 5 MW McMaster Nuclear Reactor, the Canadian Neutron Beam Laboratory (CNBL) is an emerging neutron beam facility that will enable Canada’s strong neutron user community to perform basic characterization of materials for both fundamental and applied research. Experiments at the CNBL also provide Canadian users with essential training and foundational measurements to leverage effective use of major international neutron sources.

The CNBL is building up a team of neutron scientists, technicians, and programmers with interests in both instrumentation and materials research to develop a suite of five neutron diffractometers at the MNR. It has an operational neutron diffractometer (MAD) and is commissioning a small-angle neutron scattering (MacSANS) instrument. The other three instruments include a powder diffractometer, neutron reflectometer, and neutron stress scanner, which are newly funded through the CFI Innovation Fund project “Building a Future for Canadian Neutron Scattering” (PI: Bruce Gaulin), a national collaboration of 17 universities.

The CNBL is currently housed within the Department of Physics & Astronomy at McMaster University. More information about the CNBL is available here:

The CNBL is seeking a research associate to serve as an instrument scientist by contributing to the design, development, and commissioning of ongoing instrumentation projects and supporting the scientific experiments of external users as a Local Contact. Your research activities will leverage collaborations with external researchers to capitalize on the growing suite of neutron instruments available at the CNBL.

Job Summary:
Responsible for overseeing and managing the planning, development, implementation and analysis of multiple research and experimental results.

Purpose and Key Functions:

• Oversee and manage the planning, development, implementation and analysis of multiple research and experimental results.
• Work with faculty members to establish long term research programs.
• Design and analyze experiments and results.
• Gather research related materials for scientific experiments.
• Author papers for publications and research proposals for submission to granting agencies.
• Interpret, publish and patent experimental results.
• Perform scientific and technical observations while monitoring experiments and recording results
• Use statistical methods to optimize experimental conditions.
• Prepare and keep biomolecules stable.
• Develop novel methods to synthesize new precursors.
• Build and maintain a program network of research collaborators and partners.
• Read job related periodicals and journals, and attend meetings and conferences to disucss research related technologies and results.
• Provide advice and train students and colleagues regarding research and experiments.
• Deliver presentations and report research results at conferences.
• Use hand tools to assemble or disassemble lab equipment.
• Schedule activities for graduate students, coordinate group meetings, events and monthly reports.
• Order instruments and supplies as required.
• Perform routine maintenance on equipment.
• Identify problems and develop solutions to complex problems.
• Ensure safe handling and storage of chemicals.
• Perform scientific and technical observations while monitoring experiments and recording results

Supervision:

• Provides functional guidance to others on an ongoing basis.

Requirements:

• PhD in a relevant field.
• Requires 3 years of relevant experience.

Assets:

• Experience with scattering techniques (preferably neutron) is mandatory, including competency in data refinement/analysis and diffraction, reflectometry, small-angle scattering, or stress scanning.
• Experience with neutron instrument design and development is a strong asset, including particle transport codes, neutronics, or optics.
• Familiarity with programming in Python 3.0 for data analysis.
• Team-oriented with effective communication skills in an interdisciplinary…