Postdoctoral Appointee - Surface Dynamics, Onsite

Search for job title, job req , military title, keywords

Search for City, State, Country, Zip Code

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide

Extraordinary co-workers

Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world

Career advancement and enrichment opportunities

Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)

Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

* These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We seek one postdoctoral appointee to work in the Gas-Surface Kinetics laboratory of Sandia's Gas Phase Chemical Physics Program, primarily working with PI Christopher Kliewer. In the near-term, planned work will have a heavy focus on studies of surface diffusion and the determination of elementary reaction rates through continued development and application of a newly built velocity resolved kinetics microscope. This work combines surface science approaches with velocity-mapped imaging, molecular beam dosing, and laser ionization.

The successful candidate should have some experience in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) surface science approaches and the maintenance of such systems. Experience with chemical kinetics analysis, ultrafast laser operation, gas handling, and 3D system design is desired.

On any given day, you may:

Operate a UHV surface science preparation procedure (ion sputtering, annealing, Auger electron spectroscopy analysis) and perform molecular beam reaction kinetics experiments.

Optimize the ion imaging apparatus

Analyze experimental data within the framework of fundamental chemical kinetics at surfaces

Iterate on system design to optimize data collection.

You will be expected to partner with a multi-investigator team, present results at national/international meetings, and publish research in high profile peer-reviewed journals.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Qualifications We Require:

PhD degree in physics, chemistry, engineering or a closely related discipline

Significant experience with UHV surface science/kinetics or velocity mapped imaging approaches

Qualifications We Desire:

Solid background in optics, instrumentation, ultrafast lasers, and electronics

Solid background chemical reaction dynamics and kinetics

Ability to address complex problems creatively, and to work effectively both independently and in collaboration with other researchers.

Strong record of publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at scientific conferences

Experience with LabVIEW, MATLAB, SIMION, and 3D CAD

About Our Team:

The Gas Phase Chemical Physics Department is part of Sandia's Combustion Research Facility (CRF) in Livermore, California, where over 100 scientists, engineers, and technologists conduct basic and applied research to improve our nation's capabilities in gas-phase chemical physics. Under the principal sponsorship of the Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, the Gas Phase Chemical Physics Department conducts fundamental experimental, theoretical, and modeling research to develop a foundational understanding of the complex chemical reactions that occur either directly in the gas phase or influenced by it.

Research areas include chemical dynamics and spectroscopy, advanced diagnostics, ultrafast physics and chemistry, chemical kinetics, multi-phase chemical physics, pressure-dependent chemistry, and gas-surface interactions.

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance:

This position does not currently require a Department of Energy (DOE) security…