AMOLF: Director of Mechanical Sensor Testbed

Quantum Delta NL has recently established a mechanical sensor testbed funded by the Dutch Ministry  of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, which will build a facility for testing mechanical quantum sensors and bring together stakeholders from academia, industry and government. The testbed will provide access to technology stakeholders developing technology from many diverse domains such as: navigation, security, process control, and (personalized) medicine. The idea is to establish a service oriented facility, enabling benchmarking of new sensors, as well as proof-of-concept sensor development within the testbed. Some of the services the testbed will provide include

• Identifying new applications for quantum-limited and quantum-enabled mechanical sensors
• Benchmarking of various mechanical sensing technologies against state of art
• Realizing various sensing modalities and conditions (EM fields, vibrations, etc.)
• Sensing capabilities will include: pressure, temperature, charge, mass, acceleration, force (microscopy), electric and magnetic fields

Quantum physics has been blooming in recent years as a hotbed of scientific and technological
innovation with a broad research landscape explored by a worldwide community. Nano- and
micromechanical resonators have emerged as powerful building blocks for quantum technologies, in particular in the area of sensing, with strong advances in the development of ultra-coherent
resonators, quantum-limited readout, and control over resonator quantum states. The mechanical
sensor testbed aims to leverage these advances and connect them to real-world applications,
advancing the unlocking of the tremendous potential for innovation that lies in the quantum world.

We are looking for a leading scientist or engineer with expertise in mechanical sensing technology, quantum measurement, and related areas to become the director of the testbed. We are particularly interested in candidates with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, who want to shape and establish a new facility and perform research at the cutting edge of science. The candidate should further create synergies with existing academic research groups.

The ideal candidate should have a successful scientific or industrial track record and be able to
formulate a business plan, while also addressing current scientific and technological challenges.

The intention is that the director will be employed by an independent testbed foundation. The
organization and embedding of the testbed is currently being set up by Quantum Delta NL, AMOLF  and Delft University of Technology. Quantum Delta NL, AMOLF and Delft University of Technology are dedicated to promoting equality, creating a safe environment for everyone, and we believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, socioeconomic background and strongly encourage applications from minorities.

In order to apply, please submit, in addition to your CV and a list of your research outputs, a research / professional statement (max. 3 pages) in which you explain what you consider your most important achievements as well as your vision of the future research.

Please email your application documents to: [email protected]   and [email protected] .  There will be an opportunity for first stage interviews to be held online, if needed or preferred. For further information about this vacancy please also contact either Prof. Ewold Verhagen or Prof. Simon Groeblacher.