HiLUX Ultrafast Laser Vibrational Spectroscopist

Contract Type: Fixed Term – 4 years

Hours: Full time/ Part-time (minimum 32 hours per week)

Location: Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell, Oxfordshire

Come and do the kind of science that made you want to become a scientist. Explore the unknown and get to grips with the biggest challenges in Big Science. And, alongside world class engineers and technologists, use everything you've learnt to find real-answers that shape society and improve lives.

Put simply, discover the kind of impact you can make when you work with some of the best facilities and brightest scientists in the world.

The Central Laser Facility (CLF), part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), provides advanced laser research facilities for UK and international scientists. The CLF has just been awarded £17M funding for a major upgrade of their ultrafast laser spectroscopy facilities, Artemis and Ultra, the HiLUX project. This project will extend the range of techniques for ultrafast laser spectroscopy, and encompasses upgrades to laboratories, new laser systems, new detectors and sample-handling technologies, control systems and data handling.

About The Role

We are seeking a scientist with a background in ultrafast vibrational laser spectroscopy to join the ULTRA team. The ULTRA facility specialises in the provision of world-class high repetition-rate ultrafast vibrational spectroscopic techniques for multidisciplinary UK and international research in the physical and life sciences.

Your role will be split between working with university groups doing experiments on the ULTRA facility, and on developing new capability as part of the HiLUX project. Our ultrafast spectroscopy systems include multi-dimensional (2D IR), Raman, vibrational sum-frequency generation and broadband transient spectroscopies across femtosecond to second timescales. Our funded upgrade includes a new multi amplifier high repetition rate / high average power laser system. Instrument developments will enhance the bandwidth across UV – IR probing, with major sampling management upgrades across the system.

We will support you to develop your skills, publish your work, participate in international conferences, and to build collaborations and carry out your own scientific research.

This is an excellent opportunity for you to gain experience of ultrafast science with the newest generation of technology.

About You

You will need to be an experimentalist, with a PhD in a physical science subject (or equivalent relevant experience), as well as having experience of ultrafast laser spectroscopy.

You should have experience developing and/or utilising laser spectroscopy instrumentation as well as experience in performing ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy experiments and interpretation of the spectra. Ideally you will also have awareness of the safety aspects of ultrafast laser experiments (e.g. chemical and laser safety).

For the higher salary band, we expect you to have postdoctoral experience (or other relevant employment experience) and a track record of publication in peer-reviewed journals.

What we offer

We are offering a fixed term position with a whole host of benefits including:

• 30 days holiday annually (in addition to 10.5 bank holidays and privilege days)
• flexible working hours
• an excellent defined average salary pension scheme
• employee shopping/travel discounts
• excellent learning and development opportunities
• visa Sponsorship for candidates applying outside of the UK

Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us.
What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe's largest research organisations by your side? Join us and discover what's possible.