Postdoctoral Research Associate

AMERICAN VACUUM SOCIETY INC; Ames (IA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Ames National Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to conduct experimental studies of superconducting and magnetic quantum materials, focusing on thin and ultrathin films, interfaces, and heterostructures.

The central goals include developing magneto-sensing approaches to identify dissipation and decoherence sources in superconducting quantum circuits, with techniques such as tunnel-diode resonators and NV centers in diamond.

Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct experiments on superconducting and magnetic quantum materials.
• Critically analyze experimental results and perform numerical calculations or simulations when appropriate.
• Collaborate across condensed-matter physics, materials science, and quantum information science.

Skills

Postdoctoral research

Quantum materials

NV center magnetometry

Thin films

Tools

Tunnel-diode resonators

Diamond NV centers

Job description

Would you like to work for a National Laboratory that conducts world-renowned research? Would you enjoy working on a beautiful university campus? Can you imagine yourself in a mid-sized location that regularly ranks as one of the U.S. Best Places to Live? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider a career with Ames National Laboratory!

Ames Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy federally contracted National Laboratory located in Ames, Iowa, on the campus of Iowa State University. We are dedicated to translating foundational science through applied research to create technological innovations. We create materials, inspire minds to solve problems, and address some of the most challenging issues facing our world today. We promote and believe in a culture of civility and shared ownership in support of the Laboratory's collective success.

The Division of Materials Science and Engineering seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate to conduct experimental research on superconducting and magnetic quantum materials. The research will emphasize thin and ultrathin films, interfaces, and heterostructures, with particular interest in the superconducting order parameter, thermal and induced quasiparticles, two-level systems, the effects of controlled disorder and emergent phenomena in low-dimensional systems. The materials studied will include superconductors relevant to quantum information science as well as unconventional and candidate topological superconductors and selected magnetic quantum materials.

The central research goal is to develop and employ advanced magneto-sensing approaches to identify the mechanisms that cause dissipation and decoherence in superconducting quantum circuits, particularly transmon qubits.

The postdoctoral researcher will learn, operate, improve, and help develop custom experimental techniques optimized for small-volume and thin-film samples. This will involve tunnel-diode resonators, real-space magneto-optical imaging, and quantum magneto-sensing using NV centers in diamond. It will also include more conventional thermodynamic and transport measurements.

The work will include planning and conducting experiments, critically analyzing experimental results and performing numerical calculations or simulations where appropriate. The researcher must be able to work both independently and collaboratively and to communicate effectively across condensed-matter physics, materials science, and quantum information science.