Postdoctoral Scholar in Materials and Detector Physics

Position overview

Position title: Postdoctoral Scholar in Materials and Detector Physics

Salary range: Commensurate with qualifications and experience. The posted UCSC salary scales set the minimum pay based on the individual's Experience Level
, which is determined by the number of months of postdoctoral service at any institution. See the salary scale titled,
Postdoctoral Scholar-Employee /Postdoctoral Scholar-Fellow / Postdoctoral Scholar-Paid Direct
-Fiscal Year
. A reasonable estimate for this position is $69,073 - $74,281.

Percent time: Full-time (100%)

Anticipated start: October 1, 2025. Degree requirements must be completed by September 30, 2025, for employment effective October 1, 2025, and beyond.

Position duration:
Maximum Duration of Service in a Postdoctoral Title
:
Postdoctoral Scholar appointments are full-time and the initial appointment is for a minimum of two years, with the possibility of reappointment. The total duration of an individual's postdoctoral service may not exceed five years, including postdoctoral service at any institution.

Open date: July 28, 2025

Most recent review date: Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Applications received after this date will be reviewed by the search committee if the position has not yet been filled.

Final date: Tuesday, Jul 28, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Professor Shiva Abbaszadeh in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) invites applications for two Postdoctoral Scholars in Materials and Detector Physics.

The Radiological Instrumentation Laboratory (RIL) is run by Assistant Professor Shiva Abbaszadeh of the ECE Department at UC Santa Cruz. RIL works on detector instrumentation from start to finish, beginning with materials exploration, detector fabrication and characterization, instrument design and construction, data acquisition, and signal processing. We collaborate with other groups at UCSC and other universities, National Labs, and industry partners, all working to advance technology in radiation detection.

The successful candidate will join a dynamic research team focused on advancing the field of radiation detection and detector development through innovative materials design, investigation, and application to imaging systems.

In this role, and under the supervision and mentorship of Professor Abbaszadeh, you will investigate novel alloyed amorphous chalcogenides, diving into the underlying physics of these materials and how they may be incorporated into sensors for medical imaging, high energy physics, and bioimaging.

This position's duties will include the following:

• Synthesis of amorphous chalcogenide materials, including amorphous selenium and its alloys, by thermal evaporation.
• Fabrication of multi-layer radiation detectors (single pixel, flat panel, CMOS) using techniques such as electron beam evaporation, sputtering, spin-coating, and thermal evaporation.
• Perform materials and device characterization, including time of flight, IV and CV measurement, X-ray response, photo-induced effects, cryogenic behavior, XRD, Raman spectroscopies.
• Modeling of material and detector physics as it relates to observed phenomena, using COMSOL, MATLAB, or other software.
• Participate in experimental data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Develop novel techniques, materials, and toolkits to enhance research efforts in the lab and in the field of detector development.
• Assist in the maintenance and troubleshooting of fabrication and characterization equipment.
• Prepare and present research through talks and posters at conferences, workshops, and at regular group meetings. Contribute to group discussions, problem-solving, and organization.
• Take an active role in ensuring laboratory and member safety, ensuring compliance in relation to fabrication and characterization equipment used in work.
• Collaborate with other research teams and scientists, including other universities and industry partners
• Assist with mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.
• Publish original research in peer-reviewed journals, contribute to collaborative publications, and contribute to writing grants and proposals.
• Contribute positively to the active research culture.

We encourage the investigation of new materials and techniques outside of the lab's current specialties, and welcome you to bring your own expertise to the group.

Applicants with any of the following areas of expertise or experience are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Strong background in radiation detection, instrumentation, and imaging techniques;
• Experience performing independent hands-on work in both materials synthesis and characterization, especially in the field of optoelectronics;
• Experience in programming languages such as C++, Python, LabVIEW,…