Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Less than 3 hours north of London, and an hour and a half south of Edinburgh, County Durham is a region steeped in history and natural beauty. The Durham Dales, including the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are home to breathtaking scenery and attractions. Durham offers an excellent choice of city, suburban and rural residential locations. The University provides a range of benefits including pension and childcare benefits and the University’s Relocation Manager can assist with potential schooling requirements.

Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.

The Department

The Department of Physics at Durham University is one of the leading UK Physics departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students.

The Department is committed to advancing equality and we aim to ensure that our culture is inclusive, and that our systems support flexible and family-friendly working, as recognized by our Juno Champion and Athena SWAN Silver awards. We recognise and value the benefits of diversity throughout our staff and students.

The Role

The Centre for Advanced Instrumentation (CfAI) is a major research group in the Department of Physics at Durham University with approximately seventy staff and research students. It has established a pre-eminent reputation in the development of complex instrumentation for high profile national and international projects.  The group is distributed across two physical locations in the Durham area. There is the Department of Physics located in Durham itself, with its world leading reputation in academic research. Secondly, there is a dedicated technology facility based at NETpark in nearby Sedgefield, providing access to unrivalled technical facilities for the assembly and test of complex instrumentation.

CfAI’s mission is to design and develop novel instrumentation based on cutting edge technologies with applications across a range of strategically important scientific areas. CfAI develops state-of-the-art ground and space-based instruments for applications across a wide range of disciplines including adaptive optics, spectroscopy, biophysics, remote sensing and fusion diagnostics.

The goal of the project, which is now in its third phase, is to build a functional demonstrator of a free space optical communication system for CubeSat. The first stage of the project will consist in demonstrating the feasibility of the optical heads by designing, building, and testing a prototype with actuated mirrors followed by a second stage leading to the Critical Design Review (CDR) and Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) where the system will be brought to TRL 8 for a ready to launch system in 2025.

The successful candidate will be required to take a lead role in all aspects of the project, contributing directly to the prototype, experiment and working closely with Drs Cyril Bourgenot and David Bramall, academic & industrial project partners, graduate students as well as other members of the research group and will be expected to undertake an active role in the laboratory activity.

The Department of Physics is committed to building and maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment. It is pledged to the Athena SWAN charter, where we hold a silver award, and has the status of IoP Juno Champion. We embrace equality and particularly welcome applications from women, black and minority ethnic candidates, and members of other groups that are under-represented in physics. Durham University provides a range of benefits including pension, flexible and/or part time working hours, shared parental leave policy and childcare provision.

Responsibilities:

•            To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.

•            To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non-academic audiences.

•            To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.

•            To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.

•            To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.

•            To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.

•            To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.

•            To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.

•            To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.

•            To deliver training in research techniques/approaches to peers, visitors and students as appropriate.

•            To be involved in student supervision, as appropriate, and assist with the assessment of the knowledge of students.

•            To contribute to fostering a collegial working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.

•            To engage in citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.

•            To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses.   

The post is for a fixed term of 24 months.

The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which may be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.

Successful applicants will ideally be in post by April 2023.

The Requirements

Essential:

1.           Qualifications

•            A good first degree in physics.

•            A PhD (or be close to submission) in Optical Instrumentation or related area.

2.           Experience

•            Experience in conducting high quality academic research.

•            Demonstrable ability to write material of a quality commensurate with publication in highly-ranked journals.

•            Demonstrable ability to present research papers at international conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community.

•            Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career

•            To have experience with hyperspectral imagers or Free-space Optical communication.

•            Demonstrable ability to develop software to control optomechanical stages or actuators.

3.           Skills

•            Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.

•            Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.

•            Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

•            Demonstrable ability to develop designs in collaboration with other academics.

•            Good knowledge of the Python language

Desirable:

4.           Experience

•            Experience of overseeing students with respect to the development of their practical/research skills e.g. acting as a demonstrator; supervising student projects.

•            Experimental experience of Freeform Optics, InGaAs Detector, Avalanche Photo-Detector, Position Sensing Detector.

•            Knowledge of electronics.

•            Knowledge of CAD software and Zemax.

How to Apply

For informal enquiries please contact Cyril Bourgenot ([email protected]). All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence.