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Senior Research Associate

Requisition Number:

64615

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City

Boulder

State

Colorado

Employment Type:

Research Faculty

Schedule:

Full-Time

Posting Close Date:

12-Jun-2025

Date Posted:

30-May-2025
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Job Summary

This work aims to develop time-resolved emission microscopy (TREM) tools for characterizing modern semiconductor devices. The Faint Photonics and Quantum Nanophotonics Groups in the Applied Physics Division at NIST are working to develop a TREM setup employing their world-leading superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) to measure the very faint infrared photon emission from transistors.

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP).  NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest and thus requires that such institutions be the recipients of a PREP award.  The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas.  Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

PREP is a special partnership between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder.  PREP provides research opportunities to CU undergraduate and graduate students, as well as researchers with a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in NIST labs to gain research experience alongside NIST scientists.

The particular group that needs a researcher is the Faint Photonics Group under the Applied Physics Division at NIST.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

  • Using our time-resolved emission microscope and superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors to perform optical spectroscopy of semiconductor devices emitting infrared photons.
  • Designing and implementing improvements to the microscope and fiber collection system as needed.
  • Based on the results of spectroscopic measurements, advising detector team on optimal wavelengths to target for future single-photon detectors.
  • Testing new single-photon detectors, characterizing wavelength-dependent detection efficiency, dark count rates, and timing jitter.
  • Designing and constructing an optical imaging microscope that efficiently couples light from a semiconductor device under test to a 64-pixel imaging array of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors.  The imaging detector array will be inside a free-space-coupled cryostat scheduled to be delivered later this year.
  • Presenting results at internal and meetings.
  • Ensuring that results, protocols, software, and documentation have been archived or otherwise transmitted to the larger organization.

What You Should Know

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3) and 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c)

Purpose: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) which is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor’s degree holders, graduate students, master’s degree holders, postdocs, and faculty.

PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratories and participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborative research relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of higher education in the following disciplines including (but may not be limited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, and statistics.  This collection of information is needed to facilitate the administrative functions of the PREP Program.

Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected to perform the requisite reviews of the applications to determine eligibility, and to meet programmatic requirements.  Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1: NIST Associates.

Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary.  When you submit the form, you are indicating your voluntary consent for NIST to use of the information you submit for the purpose stated.

What We Can Offer

  • The salary range for this full-time position is $110,000 - $172,000 annually.
  • Onboarding/relocation assistance may be available, however, if within a 12-month period you exercise your right to willfully terminate your employment with the University of Colorado, you hereby agree to reimburse the department for your relocation expense.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder.

Be Statements

Be ambitious. Be pioneering. Be Boulder.

What We Require

  • A PhD degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
  • Five (5) or more years of relevant experience beyond doctoral degree.

What We Would Like You to Have

  • Expertise in one or more of the following: free-space optics, imaging, fiber optics, optical spectroscopy, and photon-counting techniques.
  • Experience using scientific software for measurement automation and data analysis.
  • Familiarity with RF electronics and/or cryogenics.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:
  1. Resume/CV
  2. Cover Letter
(Optional) Transcripts/Proof of Degree: If you are selected as the finalist, your degree will be verified by the CU Boulder Campus Human Resources Department using an approved online vendor.  However, if your degree was obtained outside of the United States, please submit an English-translated version as an Optional document.

During the application process, you will need to enter contact information for a reference.  We will request the letter of recommendation immediately following your application.
 
Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until June 12, 2025.
 
Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email.  For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Lisa Valencia

Posting Contact Email: recruitprep@colorado.edu