Research Fellow - Ultracold Atoms and Quantum Gases - Physics and Astronomy - 99564

Position Details

College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, School of Physics and Astronomy

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £31,406 to £40,927, with potential progression once in post to £43,434

Grade 7

Full Time /  Fixed Term contract up to 2 years

Closing date: 29th July , 2022

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do. 

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university.  We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success. 

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential.  With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University. 

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.  We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work. 

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working.  In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries. 

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site.  On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens. 

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham .

Background

Using ultracold atoms, we are constructing thermo-machines operating at the genuine quantum level. The project aims at realizing an architecture where the working fluid of the engine is a single ultracold atom trapped in an optical tweezer, which acts as a piston. The heat bath is made of many atoms of a different species. Such architecture allows the realization of arbitrary thermodynamic transformations at the quantum level that, combined in cycles, implement quantum heat engines.  Such prototype quantum engines hold the promises to become cornerstones in the burgeoning fields of quantum thermodynamics and quantum technologies.

Role Summary

We are seeking individuals who have a genuine interest in quantum mechanics and in experimental cold atom research. The successful candidate will join the Quantum Gases group at the University of Birmingham and lead the lab activities towards the realization and characterization of ultracold atom engines.  The successful candidate will be in charge of a newly built machine able to produce ultracold mixtures of Rb and K. The project benefits from the collaboration of theory partners at the Queen’s University in Belfast and the successful candidate is also expected to play an active role in the interaction with them. 

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

•    Lead the daily lab activities related to the project, including the collection, analysis and interpretation of data
•    Actively contribute to the interaction with theory partners
•    Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
•    Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
•    Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
•    Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods 
•    Undertake management/administration arising from research
•    Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
•    Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters *
•    Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research *
•    Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines*

Person Specification

•    PhD in Physics
•    An excellent track record in cold atom research
•    Excellent experimental skills, including optics, lasers, electronics, programming etc
•    Demonstrated ability to manage a self-contained project, and to work effectively as part of a team in an academic environment
•    Ability to communicate complex information clearly

Informal enquires to Giovanni Barontini - [email protected]

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment

We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.