Researcher Position: Spectroscopist / system integrator

Fraunhofer CAP (Centre for Applied Photonics) has a vacancy, due to planned growth, for a talented, imaginative researcher who would revel in a varied, applied R&D setting. The role will support and facilitate cutting edge research, design and development activities in laser, quantum and other optical systems in collaboration with industry customers and partners. We welcome applications from people at all stages of their career and we enjoy our team being diverse in every way. Our team is bright, engaging, welcoming, helpful and we want like-minded individuals who want to make a difference and really contribute.  Your attitude and ambition are as important to us as any of the details below. We hope for candidates who are sociable and professional, have strong oral and written communication skills and experience of applied R&D in an academic or industrial environment.

The first of the highly regarded Fraunhofer Research Centres to be based in the UK, Fraunhofer CAP specialises in undertaking applied R&D in a range of photonics themes. Based at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow, Fraunhofer CAP’s main remit is to be a key partner to UK companies in the development of state-of-the-art products and processes which will enhance their competitiveness. Candidates will most likely have a strong academic or industrial R&D record in photonics or optoelectronics and a demonstrable ability to work collaboratively and independently, to defined timescales, together with a commitment to commercially-orientated research and development. Candidates will have the ability to successfully manage R&D projects. They will play a key role in developing new project ideas, and help securing funding from industry, Innovate UK and the EU.

You will ideally exhibit a broad range of expertise, as the role encompasses activities spanning early-stage desk-based design scoping through to laboratory demonstration, system integration and deployment, including customer reporting and proposal preparation.

The successful candidate will join the stand-off detection team at Fraunhofer CAP. We utilise a range of spectroscopic-based techniques, spanning from the deep-ultraviolet to the far infrared, to solve challenging substance detection applications. Therefore candidates with a passion for the translation of scientific principles into practical solutions will be very well suited to this role. Expertise in the following areas, typical of the techniques we use, would be advantageous:

• Raman, Fluorescence and Laser-Induced Breakdown spectroscopies in the ultra violet region;
• Wavelength and time-resolved Single photon counting;
• Absorption, Photoacoustic and Photothermal spectroscopies in the infrared region.

Our activities entail both stand-off and in-situ molecular detection and measurement systems and we work at a range of technology readiness levels from early-stage feasibility experiments in the laboratory to the design and construction of autonomous, highly refined demonstrators for deployment in a range of challenging and exciting environments. Therefore, as well as welcoming applicants with pure-play spectroscopy expertise, we are also interested in candidates who have experience of general optical, electronics and mechanical design, system integration and instrument control. A strong track record of practical, application-oriented experimental work is essential. The nature of our work is driven by the needs of our customers and so it is crucial that candidates are able to work with our partners to understand their end-use needs, and then work with the Fraunhofer CAP team to develop suitable scientific solutions.

Skills which specifically address these areas would be highly desirable but candidates with transferrable skills from other application areas will also be considered. Any or all of these additional core skills would be welcome:

• A solid grounding in optics and photonics;
• Computer interfacing for instrumentation control and data acquisition (experience of Python would be particularly welcome);
• Laser development and characterisation;
• Mechanical design skills;
• Optical test and measurement;
• Familiarity with dispersive / wavelength-resolving optical components and instruments;
• Alignment of optical systems;
• Analysis and interpretation of spectral data;
• Experience of Idiosyncrasies associated with operating in the deep-UV or far-infrared spectral regions;
• Manipulation of spectroscopic information (spectral line deconvolution, etc.) .

Fraunhofer CAP offers a competitive salary and very attractive University-like conditions, including generous holidays, pension provision, maternity leave, nursery access etc. Salary will be commensurate with the levels of appointment.

In the first instance, if you consider that you match these requirements; please send a 2-page maximum CV and a one page maximum covering letter, all as a single PDF file with the filename firstname_lastname_iopOS_2022 to hr@fraunhofer.co.uk.

Please include in your letter ‘I agree that you may keep my CV on file for two calendar years in order to be considered for future positions.’, if you so wish.

Application closing date: 4^th October 2022