Vacuum Materials Scientist

Salary: Band D £31,931 - £34,709,

Benefits: 30 days holiday + 8 bank holidays + 2.5 privilege days + exceptional defined average salary pension + excellent work life balance (including Christmas shut down)

Location: Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Ln, Daresbury, Warrington WA4 4AD

Contract: Open Ended

Closing date for applications: 21st October 2022

Come and do the kind of science that made you want to become a scientist. Explore the unknown and get to grips with the biggest challenges in Big Science. And, alongside world class engineers and technologists, use everything you've learnt to find real-answers that shape society and improve lives.

Put simply, discover the kind of impact you can make when you work with some of the best facilities and brightest scientists in the world.

STFC's Accelerator Science and Technology Centre (ASTeC) mission is to build the 'Big Science' facilities of the future; we design, build and operate particle accelerators and make major contributions to many of the biggest projects in the world today, working with high-profile national and international partners that include the Cockcroft Institute. STFC encourage our staff to undertake world-leading work in a diverse and inclusive environment that supports work-life balance.

The Vacuum Solutions Group is looking to recruit 3 Vacuum Material Scientists to be part of the R&D team for particle accelerators. We have a leading programme in superconducting thin film coated cavities for particle acceleration for the next generation of sustainable accelerators.

You will conduct research primarily in superconducting RF thin film cavities in one or more of the following areas

• Sample preparation using chemical and electro polishing.
• Thin film material deposition using PVD and CVD
• Material analysis using surface science techniques such as XPS, SEX, EDX, AFM, STM.
• Superconducting property evaluation and cryogenic RF testing of films and cavities
• Perform practical 'hands-on' tasks and/or oversee mechanical installation, assembly and commissioning tasks on complex vacuum systems
• Write reports & scientific papers, present your work to peers and collaborators at internal, national and international meetings & learn and further self-develop in the field of accelerator science and technologies.

About you.

You will have a keen interest in solid state physics and thin film/surface analysis enabling you to understand surface chemistry, have demonstrable experience of lab safety and be comfortable & confident working as part of a team whilst carrying out your own research tasks with minimal supervision

Essential:

• BEng/BSc or Masters in Physics/Chemistry or relevant science degree
• Evidence of practical aptitude, ability to do 'hands on' tasks, following processes.
• Knowledge and experience of some or all of the following:-
• Surface preparation (electro or chemical polishing), thin film material deposition (PVD, CVD, ion beam), surface analysis and surface science techniques e.g. XPS, SEM, EDX, AFM, cryogenic testing, RF testing of thin films.
• Experience of scientific research relevant to the role

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us.

What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe's largest research organisations by your side? Join us and discover what's possible.