Research Associate

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University is approaching completion and commencement of user operation in early 2022. The FRIB high-power superconducting linear accelerator has already been demonstrated to accelerate ion beams to the design energy of 200 MeV/u to produce rare isotopes. FRIB is poised to be the world’s most powerful rare isotope beam facility, with unprecedented opportunities to study the vast unexplored potential of more than 1000 new rare isotopes never before produced on Earth. FRIB includes a target facility for the in-flight production of rare isotopes. An Advanced Rare Isotope Separator (ARIS) will prepare fast rare isotope beams with high-purity for nuclear physics experiments.

We invite PhD graduates to apply for this Research Associate position and join the FRIB Accelerator Physics Department. The Research Associate will contribute to the commissioning, development and operation of the FRIB by undertaking projects and activities to improve facility performance as measured by beam quality, intensity, power, purity and variety.

Position duties can be adjusted according to the candidate’s experience, interests, and talents, but will cover at least three of the following areas:

• Development of ARIS settings for efficient separation and purification of rare isotopes.
• Development of parallel simulation and optimization codes for production, separation, and transport of rare isotope beams.
• Development, implementation, and maintenance of high-level physics applications.
• Development and application of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to improve the efficiency of the accelerator and/or secondary beam transport devices.
• Contribution to the ARIS upgrade projects.

Qualifications

Required

• PhD in physics, electrical, or computer engineering.
• Knowledge of major programming languages (C++, Python).
• Good communication skills.
• Self-motivated and able to work well within a team.
• Ability to work with export-controlled technology.

Desired

• Prior experience in higher-order beam optics.
• Prior experience in fragment separator beam physics.
• Familiarity with accelerator and/or nuclear physics.
• Experience in parallel computing.
• Physics of interaction of ion beams with materials.