Optical and Materials Scientist

Essential Duties:

We are seeking a motivated and organized Chemist/Physicist/Engineer to join a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers in support of developing novel materials and systems relevant to the automotive, aerospace and defense industries. Perform cutting-edge R&D under the supervision of staff scientists within the areas of physical/inorganic chemistry, optics and photonics, and/or material and device simulations. 

Perform materials characterization using optical testing methods.  Produce samples in a wet chemistry laboratory.  Build test setups to measure material or device properties with commercial and in-house developed sensors (magnetic, electrochemical, electrical). Use modern programming languages such as Python to perform data analysis and simulations of materials and devices.

Required Skills:

Proficiency working on early-stage R&D projects in chemical/mechanical laboratories.

Types of duties to include, setting up test stations, performing materials characterization, working with hazardous materials, etc.

A strong candidate will be able to work independently on tasks under the direction of a senior lab member and suggest improvements as progress is made. 

Some experience in laboratory research, particularly in free space and ultrafast optics and electrical testing. 

Experience with ultrafast laser, their alignment and optics, and data collection is important for this position. 

Wet chemical sample handling.  The ability to work safely in a chemical laboratory is critical. This is for simple chemical processing and characterization and not elaborate syntheses.

Functional use of Python, Labview, or another programming language to automate experiments and control data collection.

Must be able to work well in a dynamic team environment with several ongoing projects at once and possess excellent communication skills.

Knowledge of building and control of experiments with ultrafast lasers and various spectroscopy techniques is preferred.

Debugging measurements and optimizing signal for a variety of complex experimental conditions and material systems is preferred.  Strong familiarity with state-of-the-art experimental techniques for probing light-matter interaction of nanomaterials, semiconductors and emerging materials including low-dimensional and quantum materials would be a bonus.

Proficient with writing code in languages like Python or C++ to perform data analysis or interface with optomechanical or electronic test components is preferred.

Experience in simulating photonic, metamaterial and optical systems in a variety of simulation frameworks such as Lumerical or ZEMAX is preferred. 

Peripheral knowledge of machine learning and AI techniques applied to materials or photonics would be a bonus but not required.

Experience with electrochemical measurements and interpreting resulting data is preferred.

Experience writing and executing test procedures for battery cell cycling is preferred. 

Experience interfacing with cleanroom process flows for semiconductor fabrication is preferred. 

Experience or knowledge of atomistic/quantum material simulation such as density functional theory would be helpful.  

Required Education:

MS degree in chemistry, physics, material science or similar.

Candidates with different experience levels will be considered based on skillset alignment.

Physical Requirements:

Must be capable of performing extended analysis at computer workstations.

Must be able to work safely in an optical, electrical testing and wet chemistry laboratory.

Special Requirements:

U.S. citizenship. Must be willing to apply for and maintain a security clearance.

Compensation:

The base salary range for this full-time position is $99,705 - $124,683 + bonus + benefits.

Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed reflect the base salary only, and do not include potential bonus or benefits.