Fermilab, Accelerator Division

2392 22546
Position ID:FNAL-Accelerator Division-RAFBD [#22546, 005953]
Position Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate
Position Type:Postdoctoral
Position Location:Batavia, Illinois 60510, United States [map] sort by distance
Subject Area: Physics / Physics
Appl Deadline:2022/11/30 11:59PMhelp popup finished (2022/08/31, finished 2023/06/03, listed until 2022/11/30)
Position Description:    

*** this position has been closed and new applications are no longer accepted. ***

We Are: 
Fermilab is America’s premier laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. We support discovery science experiments in Illinois and at locations around the world, including deep underground mines in South Dakota and Canada, mountaintops in Arizona and Chile, and the South Pole. 

We are strategic risk takers, innovators, and collaborators. We are engineers, scientists, technicians, administrative professionals. We are 1,800 employees advancing knowledge for the benefit of humankind. Fermilab has been at the forefront of particle physics for more than 40 years. We build world-leading accelerators and detectors to conduct some of the most advanced particle physics experiments possible. We collect and analyze the data from those experiments with some of the most powerful computers in the world. We conduct this research on a 6,800-acre prairie, 35 miles outside Chicago, a treasure that has been designated a National Environmental Research Park. Fermilab is central to the US HEP particle physics program and the Booster is the workhorse of the Fermilab proton accelerator complex. The performance of the Booster will be especially critical to the success of the upcoming PIP-II linac upgrade and DUNE/LBNF experimental program. 

This position is for an appointment of 3 years with the potential of extension. 

Relocation will be offered for this appointment. 

You Will
The Postdoctoral Research Associate will join the Fermilab Booster Department Accelerator Physics Group and specialize in transverse dynamics. To meet the ambitions of the PIP-II era Booster, the beam orbit and optics functions will need to be systematically analyzed and optimized. The goal is to minimize and predict losses associated with complex operations during injection, transition-crossing, and extraction. The Booster MAD-X accelerator model will be used to predict, and be calibrated against, beam-position monitor data. 

The work will be closely coordinated with machine operations, and the careful deployment of advanced tuning algorithms may be necessary. The postdoc will interface with the ongoing Controls modernization and AI development efforts. The postdoc is also expected to participate in beam dynamics studies for PIP-II readiness, including the management of space-charge induced particle resonances and transition-crossing instabilities. 

We Are Looking For: 
  • Ph.D in Physics or a related field with your degree completed by the time of the appointment. 
  • Undergraduate-level experience in mechanical and electromagnetic physics, familiarity with particle accelerator operations, familiarity with particle accelerator optics. 
  • Familiarity with basic computer programming and/or mathematical software, experience with scientific writing such as conference papers. 
  • Experience with optimization algorithms, online tuning methods, or machine learning techniques. 
  • Experience with MAD-X or similar particle tracking software, experience with Python or similar programming language, experience with control systems or working with real particle accelerator data, familiarity with Linux environment. 

Application Instructions:
Interested candidates should submit their application package via Academic Jobs Online:
https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/22546 
  1. A cover letter with a brief statement of your research interests 
  2. A curriculum vitae, including a list of publications 
  3. At least three letters of reference (to be submitted by the reference writers at the AJO site). 

For general information about this position, please contact Jeffrey Eldred at (jseldred@fnal.gov).

Fermilab is an Equal Opportunity Employer and believes a diverse and inclusive environment based on mutual respect is essential to our mission. Fermilab is committed to recruiting and developing the most hardworking people and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, country of birth, geography/postal code, disability, marital status, parental or gestational status, or other non-merit factor.

Application Materials Required:
Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:
And anything else requested in the position description.

Further Info:
 
Fermilab
PO Box 500
Batavia, IL 60510