Postdoc, Optical Metrology & Plasma Processing

Brookhaven National Laboratory; Upton (NY); On-site; USD 71,900 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

Brookhaven National Laboratory is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Optics and Metrology Group at NSLS-II to advance non-contact optical fabrication technologies. You will contribute to IBF beam control, APPJ/APPF development, and ML-driven modeling, collaborating with plasma experts to realize damage-free, roughness-preserving mirror fabrication.

The role involves integrating metrology, developing diagnostics, and publishing results while working on-site in a national lab

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics, Plasma, Materials, EE or related field.
• Experience with optical surface characterization and statistical analysis of figure/roughness.
• Hands-on energy-beam surface processing (APPJ, IBF, fluid-jet polishing).
• Strong analytical, experimental design and communication abilities.

Responsibilities

• Design, model, integrate and test an Einzel lens and diaphragm module for IBF.
• Develop calibration routines and closed-loop beam conditioning informed by metrology.
• Develop APPJ/APPF process recipes to remove material while preserving roughness.
• Establish plasma/thermal diagnostics and integrate metrology for rapid iteration.
• Develop physics-informed and data-driven models to predict dwell time and beam parameters.
• Apply metrology tools to quantify figure, slope and roughness and refine models.
• Publish results in peer-reviewed journals and present findings at conferences.

Skills

PhD in Physics/Plasma/Materials/EE/CE

Optical surface characterization

Energy-beam surface processing

Analytical problem solving

Surface science background

IBF systems / Einzel lenses

ML for process modeling

Python / C++ / instrumentation

Education

PhD in Physics, Plasma, Materials, EE or related

Tools

AFM

SEM

Interferometry

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Python

C++

Job description

Brookhaven National Laboratory is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Optics and Metrology Group at NSLS-II to advance non-contact optical fabrication technologies. You will contribute to IBF beam control, APPJ/APPF development, and ML-driven modeling, collaborating with plasma experts to realize damage-free, roughness-preserving mirror fabrication.

The role involves integrating metrology, developing diagnostics, and publishing results while working on-site in a national lab