PREP0004289 Quantum Photonics Integration Researcher

PREP Research Associate

Opportunity No.: PREP0004289

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, and thus requires that such institutions must be the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.

APPLY ONLINE HERE

Quantum Photonics Integration Researcher

Project Description:

We are looking for a postdoctoral scholar to design, fabricate, and/or test integrated photonics for one or more of the following application areas: 

• Meta-optics for coupling to free-space optical modes, e.g., interfaces to atomic systems 
• High-Q optical microcavities for laser frequency stabilization and precision sensing 
• Electro-optics for light modulation and/or phase control 
• Robust test structures for characterizing nanofabrication accuracy, identifying optical losses, etc.

This work will be highly collaborative with interactions spanning multiple labs across NIST. The postdoc will work with a team to carry out the design/fabricate/test workflow, where “design” entails simulating integrated photonic structures to estimate optical properties such as loss and dispersion, and creating GDS layouts of designs; “fabricate” entails using tools supported by the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, such as EBL and LPCVD, to realize designed structures; and “test” entails performing measurements of the fabricated structure’s optical properties using lasers, spectrometers, etc. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Analyze heterogeneous data sources
• Use analysis to iterate on device designs and collaborate with others to do so
• Present results at internal meetings and occasional meetings with external stakeholders
• Publish results in the relevant scientific literature when appropriate

Desired Qualifications: 

• U.S. Citizen Preferred
• Ph.D. in physics, electrical engineering, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience, as evidenced by publications or recommendations, with integrated photonics
• Familiarity with electromagnetics simulation software such as COMSOL or Lumerical
• Familiarity with nanofabrication techniques such as EBL and LPCVD
• Familiarity with optical measurement techniques for loss, dispersion, noise, etc.
• Ability to develop prototypes of tools needed to analyze data 
• Strong oral and written communication skills

Other Details:

• Full-time: the participant is expected to work 40 hours a week
• Location: the participant will work at the NIST Gaithersburg Campus.
• Duration: this is expected to be a nine-month position. Extensions are sometimes granted depending on the availability of funds.
• For questions related to the research project or the nature of the work in this position, please contact Dr. Jordan Stone (jordan.stone@nist.gov). For questions related to the online application or NIST PREP more generally, please contact msu-nistprep@morgan.edu.

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3) and 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c)

Purpose: The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) which is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor’s degree holders, graduate students, master’s degree holders, postdocs, and faculty.

PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratories and participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborative research relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of higher education in the following disciplines including (but may not be limited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, and statistics. This collection of information is needed to facilitate the administrative functions of the PREP Program.

Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected to perform the requisite reviews of the applications to determine eligibility, and to meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1: NIST Associates.

Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. When you submit the form, you are indicating your voluntary consent for NIST to use the information you submit for the purpose stated.