Technical Professional- Systems Integration & Operations Advanced Atomic Force Microscopy

Technical Professional
- Systems Integration & Operations for Advanced Atomic Force Microscopy

We are seeking a skilled technical professional to provide strategic, cross-cutting leadership in the integration, modernization, and operation of advanced Atomic Force Microscopy platforms within our research group. This role will serve as the central architect and steward of custom SPM control systems
, enabling the seamless deployment of innovative hardware (including FPGA-based electronics and custom mechanical assemblies) and software solutions (LabVIEW, Python, and custom drivers) across multiple experimental platforms.

The core mission of this position is to design and implement next‑generation experimental workflows that integrate instrument control, automation, data management, and advanced analytics, supporting the transition toward highly automated, AI‑assisted, and increasingly autonomous research laboratories. This ensures cohesive growth of our in‑house capabilities, accelerates scientific productivity, and enables reliable, reproducible, and user‑friendly operation of the laboratory’s world‑class microscopy infrastructure. To this aim, TP will work directly with research staff in the Functional Atomic Force Microscopy group (and Data Nanoanalytics Group as needed) to develop, integrate and validate novel microscopy methods and extend our existing capabilities, as well as facilitating its deployment by maintaining up to date documentation, reports and technical notebooks.

You will help support user activities within the CNMS User Program, including working directly with users to train them to use instruments safely and effectively and help solve technical issues.

This position resides in the Functional Atomic Force Microscopy Group in the Nanomaterials Characterization Section from the Center of Nanophase Materials Sciences, at the Physical Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

System Integration, Digital Infrastructure, and Workflow Design

• Lead the integration of custom AFM hardware and software systems into a unified, modular, and scalable control architecture.
• Design, implement, and maintain standardized software frameworks and libraries to support multi‑platform operation across all AFM systems.
• Architect end‑to‑end experimental workflows that integrate instrument control, data acquisition, processing, storage, and analysis.
• Develop automated and semi‑autonomous measurement pipelines enabling high‑throughput, reproducible, and adaptive experimentation.
• Establish data‑flow architectures that support real‑time feedback, metadata capture, provenance tracking, and long‑term reproducibility.

Technical Leadership, Coordination, and Platform Stewardship

• Serve as the primary technical liaison between hardware developers, software engineers, data scientists, and scientific users.
• Coordinate parallel development efforts to ensure compatibility, sustainability, and adoption of best practices.
• Lead version control, validation, testing, and release management of shared instrumentation software.
• Maintain roadmaps for platform evolution, feature development, and infrastructure modernization.
• Promote collaborative development models, code review, and shared knowledge repositories.

AI‑Enabled Instrumentation Design, Control Systems and Future Laboratory Development

• Design and implement mechanical, electromechanical, and electronic interfaces for advanced AFM capabilities.
• Develop user‑friendly LabVIEW and Python interfaces for data acquisition, waveform generation, and closed‑loop control.
• Support FPGA‑based real‑time control, firmware development, and hardware‑software co‑design.
• Lead the transition toward “laboratories of the future,” incorporating autonomous measurement, smart scheduling, and cloud‑enabled analysis platforms.
• Enable the integration of AI/ML‑assisted tools for experiment planning and execution, parameter optimization and data interpretation into experimental workflows.
• Evaluate and implement emerging technologies in robotics, edge computing, and intelligent control for next‑generation AFM systems.

Operational Support, User Engagement, and…