Assistant Research Professor – Instrument Automation

Penn State University•University Park, IL

35d•Onsite

About The Position

The Materials Research Institute (MRI) at Penn State seeks outstanding applicants for an Assistant Research Professor position focused on instrument automation. The position is supported by multiple efforts at Penn State, including the Department of Energy funded 3DFEM2 Energy Frontier Research Center and the National Science Foundation funded LATTICE Cloud Laboratory national facility. The automation of experimentation and data collection is increasingly critical with the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning enabled materials synthesis and characterization. The successful candidate will support the development of new automated synthesis and characterization tools along with training and supporting users of these instruments.

Requirements

Ph.D. in Physics, Materials Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field
Strong record of related research
Experience maintaining and operating thin film deposition equipment
Excellent organizational, time management, and communication skills
Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team environment in support of the goals of in-house research and external users

Nice To Haves

Specific experience with sputter deposition and characterization of ferroelectrics and semiconductors

Responsibilities

Develop hardware and software solutions to interface with and control measurement equipment to enable unique automated research and sample processing or conditioning.
Instruments span the Materials Science and Engineering Department, Materials Characterization Laboratory (MCL), Radiation Science & Engineering Center (RSEC), and Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance (SCIA).
Integrate new measurement equipment, temperature controllers, and switching hardware to existing synthesis and processing tools.
Train users on automated deposition tools and instruments in the Materials Science and Engineering Department and electrical characterization laboratory of MCL.
Work with users and senior staff to identify and correct existing acquisition deficiencies and software bugs.
Support automated thin film deposition activities of external users for the LATTICE NSF Cloud Laboratory.
Maintain and enhance the function and stability of current data acquisition software written in the National Instruments CVI development environment.