Postdoctoral Associate – Instrumentation and Photonic Workflow Validation

Virginia Tech • Blacksburg, VA

3d • $65,000 - $75,000

About The Position

The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech seeks a Postdoctoral Associate to conduct mentored research developing and experimentally validating AI-guided design-build-test-learn (DBTL) workflows for dielectric meta-optics and, as project priorities permit, plasmonics and thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) integrated photonics within the Programmable Cloud Laboratory (PCL) Node.

Reporting to the PCL Node's Deputy Director and conducting research under the guidance of designated faculty mentors, the Postdoctoral Associate will develop and validate experimental workflows connecting photonic design and electromagnetic modeling with device fabrication, calibrated optical and structural metrology, instrumentation, synchronized data acquisition, uncertainty-aware model validation, and reproducible experiment records. The role contributes to human-supervised, progressively programmable research workflows; quantitative fabrication-to-performance relationships; digital-twin validation; and machine-readable records linking designs, samples, processes, measurements, models, and uncertainty estimates.

The successful candidate will collaborate with faculty, researchers, and technical personnel while developing increasingly independent research expertise. The appointment provides opportunities for scholarly publications, technical presentations, student mentoring under faculty supervision, professional-development planning, and proposal or fellowship participation as appropriate. The position focuses on research instrumentation development, quantitative method validation, and integration of experimental data into reproducible PCL workflows. Routine preventive maintenance, service-center administration, instrument scheduling, and independent authorization of facility access are not primary responsibilities. Facility activities will be coordinated with authorized personnel.

Requirements

• PhD in electrical engineering, optical science or engineering, materials science, physics, photonics, or a closely related field.
• PhD awarded no more than four years before the effective date of appointment, with a minimum of one year of eligibility remaining.
• Demonstrated research experience in meta-optics, nanophotonics, integrated photonics, photonic device fabrication, or a closely related area, documented through doctoral research, publications, or research projects.
• Experience conducting fabrication or characterization experiments involving semiconductor, nanophotonic, or integrated photonic devices.
• Experience using laboratory instrumentation, optical characterization equipment, sensing systems, or metrology tools in experimental research.
• Experience collecting, analyzing, and interpreting experimental data using scientific computing or data analysis methods.
• Ability to develop, validate, and document reproducible experimental methods, including calibration, repeatability, quality control, or uncertainty assessment.
• Ability to communicate research methods and findings through technical reports, scholarly publications, or research presentations.
• Ability to work collaboratively and safely in shared research facilities and coordinate with faculty mentors, researchers, and facility-authorized personnel.

Nice To Haves

• Research experience involving dielectric meta-optics, nanophotonics, TFLN, or integrated photonic devices.
• Experience with electron-beam lithography (EBL), plasma etching, optical characterization, or related nanofabrication techniques.
• Experience with calibrated spectral, imaging, wavefront, coupling, propagation-loss, polarization, or device-response measurements.
• Experience with automated experimentation, instrument control, synchronized data acquisition, or process monitoring.
• Familiarity with digital twins, inverse design, optimization methods, or uncertainty quantification.
• Experience using Python, MATLAB, or comparable programming tools for scientific computing, instrument automation, or experimental data analysis.
• Experience with structured scientific metadata, experiment manifests, research-data provenance, FAIR or AI-ready data practices, or reproducible experimental or computational workflows.
• Experience mentoring students, developing SOPs or training materials, supporting research users, or contributing to proposals.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with researchers across engineering, physics, materials science, or related disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Develop and experimentally validate AI-guided design-build-test-learn workflows for dielectric meta-optics and, as project priorities permit, plasmonics and TFLN integrated photonics.
• Connect photonic design and electromagnetic modeling with device fabrication, calibrated optical and structural metrology, instrumentation, and synchronized data acquisition.
• Develop uncertainty-aware model-validation methods and reproducible experimental records.
• Contribute to human-supervised, progressively programmable research workflows and quantitative fabrication-to-performance relationships.
• Contribute to digital-twin validation and machine-readable records linking designs, samples, processes, measurements, models, and uncertainty estimates.
• Collaborate with faculty, researchers, technical personnel, and facility-authorized personnel.
• Communicate research through scholarly publications and technical presentations.
• Mentor students under faculty supervision and participate in professional-development planning and proposal or fellowship activities as appropriate.

Benefits

• Opportunities for scholarly publications and technical presentations.
• Student mentoring under faculty supervision.
• Professional-development planning.
• Proposal or fellowship participation as appropriate.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree