Postdoctoral Opportunities at the Joint Attosecond Science Laboratory (JASLAB)

European Commission; Canada; On-site; CAD 83,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Canadian research organization is seeking enthusiastic postdoctoral fellows with a PhD in physics and a strong experimental background in ultrafast optics or attosecond science. Successful candidates will work on developing advanced imaging techniques and investigating quantum optical properties. The compensation of $82,338 CAD annually comes with comprehensive benefits. This role is based in Ottawa, Ontario.

Benefits

Comprehensive health and dental insurance

Pension plan

Vacation entitlements

Qualifications

• Strong experimental background in ultrafast optics or attosecond science and spectroscopy.
• Proven record of independent experimental research.

Responsibilities

• Develop bright femtosecond VUV and XUV sources for nonlinear wave-mixing experiments.
• Advance ghost/quantum imaging techniques for electric field probing.
• Investigate quantum optical properties during attosecond phenomena.

Skills

Experimental background in ultrafast optics or attosecond science

Femtosecond laser systems experience

Background in nonlinear optics

Python programming

Experience with quantum optics

Education

PhD in physics

Job description

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Organisation/Company National Research Council Canada Research Field Physics » Optics Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Postdoc Positions Country Canada Application Deadline 31 Oct 2025 - 17:00 (America/Toronto) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Jan 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Employment Type: Full-time, 2-year fixed-term appointment, with the possibility of a 1-year extension
Base Salary: Starting at $82,338 CAD annually
Application Deadline: Open until filled (early applications encouraged)
Start Date: Between September 2025 and January 2026

About the National Research Council (NRC) and JASLAB

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is the government of Canada’s leading research and development organization. It offers a collaborative environment working closely with Canadian industry, universities, and other federal departments.

Your research will be based at the Joint Attosecond Science Laboratory (JASLAB), a partnership between NRC and the University of Ottawa, located at 100 Sussex Drive in Ottawa. JASLAB is part of the Joint Centre for Extreme Photonics (JCEP) and houses advanced infrastructure for attosecond and ultrafast optical science. Internationally recognized for breakthroughs in strong-field and attosecond physics, JASLAB promotes a highly collaborative atmosphere among experimentalists and theorists from around the world.

Who We're Looking For

We are seeking enthusiastic and skilled postdoctoral fellows with PhDs in physics, a strong experimental background in ultrafast optics or attosecond science and spectroscopy, and a proven record of independent experimental research. Ideal candidates will bring expertise relevant to one or more of the positions listed below.

Available Postdoctoral Positions

1. Nonlinear Optical XUV-IR Mixing for imaging of Electric Fields

Research Focus:
Develop bright femtosecond VUV (~8 eV) and XUV (50–100 eV) sources for nonlinear wave-mixing experiments. These will be combined with infrared and mid-infrared femtosecond pulses for imaging nanoscale electric fields in advanced materials and devices.

• Extensive hands-on experience with ultrafast laser systems
• Strong background in nonlinear optics or attosecond science
• Ideally: experience developing and characterizing VUV sources
• Ideally: proficiency with vacuum systems
• Ideally: practical knowledge of gas-phase high-harmonic generation (HHG)
• Python programming is an asset

2. Quantum Imaging of Electric Fields

Research Focus:
Advance ghost/quantum imaging techniques aiming for ~200 nm resolution or better to probe electric fields in materials and devices. The project is closely linked to ongoing work in attosecond quantumoptics and e xplores the intersection of quantum nonlinear optics, photonic devices, and attosecond photonics to develop novel imaging modalities.

• Practical expertise in ultrafast experimental techniques
• Strong background in either quantum optics or attosecond science
• Ideally: experience with correlated/quantum imaging
• Python programming is an asset

3. Attosecond Quantum Optics

Research Focus:
Investigate the quantum optical properties that emerge during attosecond phenomena , such as high-harmonic generation and strong-field ionization. T his project builds on pioneering work published by our group ( Nature Photonics, 2025 ) in collaboration with theory partners including Prof. Brabec at the University of Ottawa.

• Experience with ultrafast experimental techniques
• Solid foundation in either attosecond science or quantum optics
• For first-time postdocs: Academic transcripts (electronic copies are sufficient)

Compensation and Benefits

The successful candidates will receive compensation and benefits equivalent to Assistant Research Officers (AsRO) at the NRC:

• Starting salary: $82,338 CAD per year (the current annual Ph.D. recruiting rate)
• Benefits: Comprehensive health and dental insurance, pension plan, and vacation entitlements. Salaries are taxable and subject to standard deductions.