Associate in Research, 12 Mo-Applied Research & Commercialization Hub

Job ID: 63796

Location: Tallahassee

Application Deadline: Open until filled

Department

Applied Research & Commercialization Hub (ARCH) - National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory is building ARCH, the Applied Research and Commercialization Hub, and is hiring the physicist who will run its laboratory.

ARCH exists to move magnet-based measurement technology from something that works once, in the hands of the person who invented it, to something that runs to a date for someone who needs the answer. The laboratory sits alongside the world's highest-field DC magnets, a millikelvin suite reaching 20 mK, a maker's space with CNC, manual machining and 3D printing, and the machine shop. Its first book of work is commercial measurement: thermal expansion, low-temperature thermal conductivity and magnetization on materials that go into quantum-computing hardware, delivered to a specification and a deadline. Behind that sits a seed-funded project portfolio and a pipeline of new capability.

Responsibilities

The Associate in Research runs that laboratory under the Director's technical direction and works the seam between the MagLab's research programs and ARCH. Techniques are invented across this aboratory every year. A few of them are worth maturing into something repeatable, and the judgment about which few, and about what maturing them costs, is the core of this job. The successful candidate will spend part of their week designing and running measurements at the bench, part of it deciding what the laboratory takes on next, and part of it in front of engineers from companies who want to know whether the MagLab can answer their question.

• Run the ARCH laboratory. Own the day-to-day operation: schedule, throughput, equipment readiness, consumables, records, safety. Set up the laboratory from the ground with the Director as it comes online.
• Design, run and interpret measurements. Take a problem from specification to data to a defensible interpretation, at low temperature and high field, on samples the laboratory has not seen before.
• Mature techniques into capabilities. Work with scientists and technical staff across the MagLab's facilities to find measurement methods worth hardening, then take them from a working demonstration to a documented, repeatable procedure with known uncertainty.
• Scope what the laboratory can sell. Assess a candidate job for feasibility, magnet time, staff effort, uncertainty and cost, and say plainly what ARCH can and cannot deliver.
• Carry the technical side of customer Translate a company's problem into a measurement plan, agree what a result will and will not settle, and report back in terms an engineer outside the field can use.
• Deliver seed-funded projects. Run assigned projects against milestones, report monthly on progress and risk, and prepare the evidence for the twelve-month Go/No-Go review.
• Put Al to work in the laboratory. Automate measurement sequences, analysis and reporting. Apply machine learning and current Al tooling to shorten the path from raw data to an answer, and to open up experiments that were impractical when each run needed watching.
• Mentor, train and supervise. Run the ARCH intern line, and train new staff and collaborators on the laboratory's equipment and procedures. Co-supervise graduate students hosted from other institutions, whose academic supervision stays with their home group, with scope to take on direct supervision as the laboratory's grant-funded student base develops.

ARCH expects Al to change how this laboratory works and wants somebody keen to push that. Measurement sequences that run unattended overnight. Less time between raw data and an answer. Experiments that were impractical when every run needed a person watching it. The laboratory is being built now, so whoever arrives gets to decide how much of it is automated from the start.

There is room in the role to build a student presence over time. ARCH holds no graduate students in its first year. For a candidate who wants them, the route runs through co-supervision of students whose degree and thesis sit with their home institution, widening as the laboratory's stock of running capabilities and its grant base grow, alongside its links into the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The project portfolio throws off problems a thesis can be built on.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in physics or a closely related field, and post-doctoral research experience or an equivalent period in industrial R&D.
• Demonstrated expertise designing, building and running low-temperature measurements in high magnetic fields, and interpreting the resulting data.
• Evidence of taking an experimental method beyond its first working version to something another person can run reliably.
• Hands-on competence with cryogenic systems, vacuum hardware, low-noise wiring and general laboratory instrumentation.
• Ability to plan work against a date set outside the laboratory and to report honestly when that date is at risk.
• Clear technical communication with people who are not specialists in the technique.
• A strong interest in applying Al to experimental work: automating measurement, shortening analysis, and finding new ways of doing the science.
• Demonstrated commitment to safe work practices and willingness to support and enhance the Maglab's high-level safety culture.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with an industrial partner, a sponsored research agreement, a quote, or an NOA.
• Experience mentoring early-career researchers or junior technical staff, and an interest in supervising or co-supervising graduate students as the laboratory's student base develops.
• Depth in one or more of: thermal transport, thermal expansion and dilatometry, magnetometry, electrical transport, calorimetry.
• Experience with dilution refrigerators and with commercial measurement platforms such as the PPMS.
• Instrument control and data acquisition programming (Python, LabVIEW) and data analysis at scale.
• Practical use of machine learning or current Al tooling on experimental data, instrument automation, or analysis pipelines.
• Proficiency with CAD, 3D printing, basic machining and electronics prototyping.
• Track record of winning external research funding.
• Experience authoring standard operating procedures and conducting safety training.

Helpful

What You Gain at FSU

• Opportunity to work at a world-renowned national research
• Meaningful contributions to scientific discovery and student learning
• A collaborative environment that values your expertise and invests in your

Contact Info

For additional information, please contact: Dr. Alimamy Bangura.

University Information

One of the nation's elite research universities, Florida State University preserves, expands, and disseminates knowledge in the sciences, technology, arts, humanities, and professions, while embracing a philosophy of learning strongly rooted in the traditions of the liberal arts and critical thinking. Founded in 1851, Florida State University is the oldest continuous site of higher education in Florida. FSU is a community steeped in tradition that fosters research and encourages creativity. At FSU, there's the excitement of being part of a vibrant academic and professional community, surrounded by people whose ideas are shaping tomorrow's news!

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How To Apply

If qualified and interested in a specific Faculty job opening as advertised, apply to Florida State University at https://hr.fsu.edu/facultyjobs If you are a current FSU employee, apply via myFSU > Self Service.

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Considerations

This is a Faculty position.

This position requires successful completion of a criminal history background check.

Equal Employment Opportunity

FSU is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.