Research Scientist, Laser-Plasma Accelerators and X-ray Sources

The University of Texas at Austin; Utah; On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid vacation and sick leave

Paid holidays

Retirement plan

Job summary

The University of Texas at Austin's Department of Physics seeks a Research Scientist in Laser-Plasma Accelerators and X-ray Sources to lead a program on laser wakefield electron accelerators, laser-driven x-ray sources, and related diagnostics.

This role offers independence to develop new facilities, supervise students and staff, and collaborate across national labs and universities on ambitious projects like TeX-Ray and LaNeXT in a dynamic, cutting-edge research environment.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Physics or related field with extensive post-PhD experimental experience.
• Proven record leading laser-plasma accelerator experiments.
• Experience with x-ray imaging or scattering, detectors, and data reconstruction.
• Experience securing external research funding and supervising researchers.

Responsibilities

• Lead experiments on laser wakefield accelerators and laser-driven x-ray sources.
• Develop laser-based x-ray diagnostics for semiconductor and medical applications.
• Lead x-ray beamline work for TeX-Ray and support laser development.
• Collaborate with UT and LSU partners on LaNeXT and related projects.
• Publish results and supervise postdocs and students.

Skills

Laser wakefield physics

X-ray diagnostics

Experimental laser-plasma

Proposal development

Mentoring students

Education

PhD in Physics

Tools

Ti:sapphire lasers

XRD

Micro-CT imaging

Job description

Research Scientist, Laser-Plasma Accelerators and X-ray Sources

Hiring Department: Department of Physics

Position Open To: All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40

FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA

Earliest Start Date: Immediately

Position Duration: Expected to Continue

Location: UT MAIN CAMPUS

Job Details

General Notes

The Department of Physics plays a pivotal role in the advancing of knowledge, nurturing the next generation of physicists and making a lasting impact on the world of physics.

The College of Natural Sciences at UT Austin , strives to foster a work environment that enables all employees to contribute at the highest possible level to support the mission of the University. What starts here really does change the world. For more information about the College of Natural Sciences, please visit. https://cns.utexas.edu .

The university offers an impressive benefits package including:

• Employer paid health insurance (employee premiums covered at 100%; spouse and family premiums at 50%)
• Dental, vision, life and disability insurance options
• Paid vacation and sick leave
• Paid holidays
• Retirement plan

For more details, please see: Prospective Employee Benefits and My Total Rewards .

Job Description Summary

The Center for High Energy Density Science (CHEDS) at The University of Texas at Austin seeks an accomplished experimental physicist to lead a program on laser wakefield electron accelerators, laser-driven x-ray sources, laser-driven muon sources, and the physics they enable. The successful candidate will build UT's laser-based x-ray capability for semiconductor and medical applications, support the LaVHEE effort on laser-driven very-high-energy electron (VHEE) beams for radiotherapy, play a leading role in UT's participation in the LSU-led LaNeXT project (The Laboratory for Next Generation X-ray Science and Technology, NSF Mid-scale RI-1), and lead the x-ray beamline portion of TeX-Ray, a planned Texas laser synchrotron facility, including support for its laser development.

The position offers a highly independent research role with the opportunity to lead proposals, supervise researchers and students, and shape a new national user facility, at the interface of ultra-high-intensity laser science, accelerator physics, semiconductor metrology and medical imaging.

Responsibilities

• Lead the research program on laser wakefield electron accelerators and betatron, inverse-Compton and other laser-driven x-ray sources, including experiments on UT3, the Texas Petawatt (TPW) and off-site facilities (e.g., BELLA at LBNL, ELI Beamlines, ELI-NP).
• Develop laser-based x-ray diagnostics for semiconductor and medical applications, including 3D micro-CT of packaged chips, x-ray diffraction (XRD), phase-contrast imaging and related techniques, and support the development of laser-driven VHEE beams for radiotherapy (LaVHEE), working with industry and clinical partners.
• Lead the x-ray beamline portion of TeX-Ray (MIMIX and associated beamlines): beamline design, commissioning, and operation, and support laser development for the facility.
• Take a leading role in UT's participation in the LSU LaNeXT project: co-lead UT's part of the proposal and project, represent UT with LSU and the partner institutions, define and deliver UT's laser-driven x-ray contributions, and develop related user-program and funding efforts.
• Publish results, present at conferences, and supervise postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, technical staff and undergraduate research assistants.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Physics, Applied Physics or a related field and a minimum of six years of post-Ph.D. experience, and at least eight years of total research experience (including pre-doctoral research at universities or national laboratories), in experimental laser-plasma physics or accelerator science.
• Demonstrated record of leading experiments on laser wakefield acceleration and laser-driven x-ray generation (betatron, inverse Compton, or similar), documented by peer-reviewed publications.
• Experience with x-ray imaging or scattering techniques (e.g., radiography, micro-CT, XRD, phase-contrast) including detectors, optics and data reconstruction.
• Experience with high-power (≥ 50 TW) Ti:sapphire laser systems and with executing experiments at external laser facilities.
• Record of securing external research funding or leading major proposal components (e.g., NSF mid-scale or multi-institution projects), and of supervising researchers and students.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing x-ray metrology for semiconductor or medical applications, or collaborations with industry or clinical partners.
• Experience designing and commissioning beamlines or user end stations at a laser, synchrotron or accelerator facility.
• Experience with high-repetition-rate laser-plasma systems, gas-jet and gas-cell targets, and electron and x-ray beam diagnostics.
• Experience in muon physics, laser