Postdoctoral Research Associate - Detector and Data Acquisition System - Brookhaven National Laboratory

BNL’s Nonproliferation and National Security Department (NN) contributes to U.S. nuclear security and safeguards efforts by assisting in the development, analysis and assessment of policies that strengthen international regimes, collecting and analyzing data to identify trends and threats to the U.S. and international communities, developing and implementing new technologies to address existing and emerging threats, and strengthening the domestic and international institutions that form the framework of the nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security regimes through training and engagement.  The Radiation Detection and Emerging Safeguards Technologies (RD&EST) Group pursues research and development in radiation detection technology and applications in security, safeguards, and healthcare, ranging from development of novel radiation detectors and design and construction of detector systems for broad applications to test and evaluation of radiation detection equipment to support sponsors in operation and research. In addition, the Group also works on artificial intelligence and machine learning to address questions related to detection and safeguards of nuclear and radioactive materials.

The Nonproliferation and National Security Department seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate with knowledge and experience in electronic circuit design and application development. Working under the supervision of the Group Leader, you will be a key person in the group responsible for design and system development. You will participate in the ongoing research, leading design, and testing of data acquisition systems for custom radiation detectors in X-ray and SPECT imaging systems as well as detector prototypes for nonproliferation applications.  In addition, you will contribute to future proposals to develop new research opportunities in the group. This position has a high level of interaction with an international and multicultural scientific community. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work with the Group Leader and other research scientists to create development plans for radiation detection systems in applications of national security, nuclear security, and healthcare
• Responsible for electronics designs in product development cycle from schematic design to firmware/software development, system integration, and system testing
• Work closely with engineering team on PCB layout designs and PCB/Detector assembly
• Participate in the testing and evaluation of custom-built and commercial radiation detection systems in the laboratory and at other experimental sites
• Provide engineering support to radiation detector test and evaluation campaigns
• Give presentations at BNL lectures, conferences, and project review meetings where research results are discussed
• Publish results of research and development in peer-reviewed, scientific journals and contribute technical reports to sponsors/clients

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• A PhD degree in Electrical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Physics, or equivalent discipline
• Knowledge of analog, digital and mixed-signal circuits
• Hands-on experience in printed circuit board schematic and layout designs
• Hands-on experience in FPGA programming in VHDL or Verilog language and development of firmware for standalone microcontrollers or SoC chips
• Knowledge of I/O and communication standards, e.g., SPI, I2C, USB 2/3, PCIe, and Gigabit Ethernet
• Laboratory experience in troubleshooting in printed circuit boards
• Knowledge and experience in data analysis to determine performance of circuits and systems.
• Clear and concise oral and written communication and presentation skills.

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Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Working knowledge of and experience in radiation detectors and radiation detection systems
• Working knowledge and experience in electronics manufacturing and production
• Experience in desktop application development in C/C++ or Python in Linux and/or Windows
• Experience in the latest Xilinx/Altera FPGAs and/or SOC FPGAs
• Experience in ARM and/or RISC-V CPUs
• Programming experience using C++ with QT framework.
• Working knowledge of real-time Operating System

Environmental, Health & Safety Requirements:

The main scope of work will be conducted in an office environment as well as in the laboratory.  The successful candidate must be able to conduct the activities safely in BNL laboratories by completing required training, interpreting laboratory safety information postings, and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.

OTHER INFORMATION:

• Position may require occasional domestic travel, up to 5% of the time
• Initial 2-year term appointment subject to renewal contingent on performance and funding
• BNL policy requires that after obtaining a PhD, eligible candidates for research associate appointments may not exceed a combined total of 5 years of relevant work experience as a post-doc and/or in an R&D position, excluding time associated with family planning, military service, illness, or other life-changing events
• This is a fully onsite position located at BNL

Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to providing fair, competitive, and market-informed compensation. The full salary range for this position is $70000 - $90000. Salary offers will be commensurate with the final candidate’s qualification and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, and certifications, and also aligned with the internal peer group.