Staff Scientist for Analytical Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

Brookhaven National Laboratory; Upton (NY); On-site; USD 103,650 - 145,733; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Collaborative working environment

Job summary

Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, seeks an exceptional scientist to join the Electron Microscopy group. In this position, you will be responsible for optimizing cutting-edge aberration-corrected STEM instrumentation and developing innovative methodologies in nanomaterials research.

The successful candidate will be a leader in the scientific community, focusing on energy security and advanced materials, conducting impactful research, and collaborating with researchers across various disciplines.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. degree and minimum two years of postdoctoral experience.
• Experience with aberration-corrected STEM and microscopy techniques.
• Ability to conduct impactful research with publications.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the NION electron microscopes and manage the facility.
• Conduct nanoscience research and publish results.
• Mentor post-docs and students in the facility.

Skills

Aberration-corrected STEM

Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS)

Materials Science

Spectroscopy techniques

Education

Ph.D. in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry or Engineering

Tools

Nion STEM

Python programming

Job description

The Electron Microscopy group, one of six scientific groups in the CFN, is composed of seven staff scientists and supports four electron microscopes for characterizing nanomaterials at the atomic scale in-situ and ex-situ (www.bnl.gov/cfn). In this position, you will be a member of the Electron Microscopy group working under the supervision of Dr. Judith C. Yang.

Two first‑of‑its‑kind aberration‑corrected, monochromated scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEM) optimized for electron‑energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) with sub‑Angstrom spatial resolution will soon be added to the CFN. With installation expected in 2025, the first EELS‑STEM will be an ultra‑low KeV STEM for low Z, radiation‑sensitive, 2‑dimensional, and quantum materials. The second EELS‑STEM will be an ultra‑high vacuum environmental STEM capable of a pressure range of 10-9 to 1 or 10 Torr at the sample area, with expected installation in 2026. The CFN also houses forefront surface science equipment and synchrotron‑based X‑ray probe tools within the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLSII) for multi‑modal investigations.

The CFN is seeking an exceptional and creative scientist with outstanding expertise in the instrumentation development and application of advanced scanning transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy within research areas relevant to energy security, such as heterogeneous catalysis, oxidation/corrosion, and battery materials; microelectronics; and/or quantum materials. Your expertise and strong interest in hardware optimization of cutting‑edge STEM as well as in a wide range of forefront electron microscopy and spectroscopy techniques is strongly preferred, especially in cutting‑edge electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and you have significant interest in situ and operando microscopy. In this position, you will bear the primary responsibility for optimizing these two‑incoming aberration‑corrected monochromated STEMs and develop instrumentation science to be at the cutting edge of quantitative and analytical STEM. You will establish your own research programs that align with the CFN's Strategic Plan as well as collaborate with a broad range of users for a wide range of research projects that ultimately will benefit society, especially in energy, microelectronics and quantum materials.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• You will be primarily responsible for these frontier NION electron microscopes.
• You will carry out impactful nanoscience and instrumentation science of your own, publishing papers, and giving external presentations on your research enabled by these cutting‑edge tools.
• You will support the nanoscience user community and perform basic science research in the field of analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy.
• You will work with group members and contribute to the management of the Electron Microscopy facility user program, including user proposal reviews, allocations, and scheduling.
• You will work with other Electron Microscopy group members to oversee the day‑to‑day operations of the various electron microscopes, especially the analytical electron microscopy capabilities.
• You will mentor post‑docs and graduate/undergraduate students and foster their professional development.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Earned a Ph.D. degree in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or a suitable Engineering discipline, and a minimum of two years of experience after earning a Ph.D. degree.
• Conducted high‑impact research using and developing aberration‑corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy, especially electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and EELS simulations, to understand the properties and performance of nanomaterials as demonstrated by frequent publications of research results in peer‑reviewed journals.
• Possess technical expertise and keen interest for optimizing electron microscopes.
• Be an engaged member of the electron microscopy and materials science professional societies and regularly present your research at conferences and workshops.
• Be committed to working safely in the laboratory and fostering a respectful environment of safe‑work practices.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Earned a Ph.D. degree in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or a suitable Engineering discipline, and a minimum of four years of experience after earning a Ph.D. degree.
• Experience with a wide range of electron microscopy techniques as well as advancing the development of forefront EM techniques (software and/or hardware), quantification of EM data (spectra and/or images), 4D‑STEM, tomography, and in situ.
• Demonstrated experience developing data analytics tools using Python or other programming languages for data analytics, processing, or machine learning on microscopy data, including spectroscopy.
• Strong hands‑on experience in operating and maintaining Nion STEMs.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (writing and oral) and a passion for collaboration with other scientists and microscopists from multiple disciplines and institutions.
• Effectively collaborate in interdisciplinary teams, in both leadership and supporting roles.

Brookhaven Laboratory is committed to providing fair, equitable and competitive compensation. The full salary range for this position is $103650 - $145733 / year. Salary offers will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualification, education and experience and considered with the internal peer group.

Brookhaven National Laboratory requires all non‑badged personnel including visitors to produce a REAL‑ID or REAL‑ID compliant documentation to access Brookhaven National Laboratory. Those not in possession of a REAL‑ID‑compliant document will not be permitted to access the site, which includes access to the Laboratory for interviews.

Equal Opportunity / Diverse Source Employer

Guided by our core values of integrity, responsibility, innovation, respect, and teamwork, Brookhaven Science Associates is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer-Vets/Disabled. We are committed to fostering a respectful and collaborative environment that fuels scientific discovery. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to any characteristic protected by law. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. *VEVRAA Federal Contractor