Job Description

Organization Overview:

The Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) at Brookhaven is a DOE-funded national scientific user facility, offering users a supported research experience with top-caliber scientists and access to state-of-the- art instrumentation. The CFN mission is advancing nanoscience through frontier fundamental research and technique development and is the nexus of a broad collaboration network. Each year, CFN staff members support the research of nearly 600 external facility users.

Three strategic nanoscience themes underlie the CFN scientific facilities: The CFN conducts research on nanomaterial synthesis by assembly designing precise architectures with targeted functionality by organizing nanoscale components. The CFN researches and applies platforms for state-of-the-art techniques for Accelerated Nanomaterial Discovery, integrating synthesis, advanced characterization, physical modeling, and computer science to iteratively explore a wide range of material parameters. The CFN develops and utilizes advanced capabilities for studies of Nanomaterials in Operando Conditions for characterizing materials and reactions at the atomic scale in real-world environments.

Position Description:

The Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA) at BNL is seeking an exceptional Postdoctoral Research Associate to lead research on measuring material properties that are relevant to superconducting qubit noise and decoherence, at milliKelvin temperature. You will study radio frequency (RF) spectroscopy on constituent materials of various quantum circuits, including superconducting qubits and microwave resonators, and support the construction of a milliKelvin scanning probe microscope. You will be primarily stationed at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), working with CFN scientists Mingzhao Liu and Dario Stacchiola. You will be involved in close collaborations with leading experimental groups in C2QA for material properties and device performance measurements. 

The Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA) is one of five Department of Energy Quantum Information Science Research Centers established in support of the National Quantum Initiative. Led by BNL, the C2QA team comprises several national labs, research centers, universities, and industry, including IBM, MIT, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Princeton University, Yale University, and Stony Brook University. The Center is building the fundamental tools necessary to create scalable, distributed, and fault-tolerant quantum computer systems. By designing software and hardware in tandem, the C2QA team is working toward achieving quantum advantage — the point at which a quantum computer outperforms a classical one on a useful task — for computations in high-energy and nuclear physics, chemistry, materials science, condensed matter physics, and other fields of science.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• You will lead measurements on material properties that are relevant to superconducting qubit noise and decoherence, at milliKelvin temperature;

• You will lead the study on radio frequency (RF) spectroscopy of the constituent materials of quantum circuits, including superconducting qubits and microwave resonators;

• You will support the construction of a milliKelvin scanning probe microscope at CFN.

• You will participate in intra-team and inter-team collaboration within C2QA.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• You earned a Ph.D. in an appropriate discipline (e.g., Physics or Electrical Engineering) within the past five years;

• You are experienced with low temperature measurements at mK temperature; 

• You have a strong knowledge of superconductivity and quantum information science.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• You work effectively in a collaborative team to tackle challenging scientific problems;

• You can work independently within the team;

• You communicate effectively, both verbally and also through writing;

• You have a strong knowledge on the principle and instrumentation for radio-frequency spectroscopy;

• You have knowledge on scanning probe microscopy.

Other Information:

• This is a 2-year Postdoc Assignment.

• BNL policy requires that after obtaining a PhD, eligible candidates for research associate appointments may not exceed a combined total of 5 years of relevant work experience as a post- doc and/or in an R&D position, excluding time associated with family planning, military service, illness, or other life-changing events.

• Candidates must have completed all degree requirements by the commencement of the employment.

• Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to providing fair, equitable and competitive compensation. The full salary range for this position is $70000 - $80000 / year. Salary offers will be commensurate with the final candidate’s qualifications, education and experience and considered with the internal peer group.

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