NIST works with industry and science to advance innovation and improve quality of life. We're looking for a Physicist to join our team! This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates.

Duties

The selected candidate will develop advanced microwave-optical transducers and Rydberg atom radio frequency sensors. They will lead the fabrication effort developing the next-generation of integrated, high-yield vibrating membrane transducers that operate at superconducting temperatures. They will design, simulate, fabricate in a cleanroom, and test both on optical benches and in dilution refrigerator transducer devices to improve dependability, yield, and noise characteristics with the goal of achieving quantum operation. They will also work with a multi-disciplinary team to plan, manage, and conduct research on Rydberg atom sensors for accurate field strength metrology, channel metrology, and communications. This person will develop advanced approaches to using Rydberg atoms for sensing and receiving of radio frequency electromagnetic fields to support applications of interest to government and industry stakeholders. These efforts will include university collaborations and mentoring of graduate students and postdocs. They will contribute to project management efforts, propose new research directions, and represent NIST's efforts in these areas to sponsors and the international scientific community through presentations, reports, and publications.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment
• Bargaining Unit Position: No

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: A. Degree: physics; or related degree that included at least 24 semester hours in physics. Or B. Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in physics totaling at least 24 semester hours, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In either A or B above, the courses must have included a fundamental course in general physics and, in addition, courses in any two of the following: electricity and magnetism, heat, light, mechanics, modern physics, and sound. And In addition to the basic requirements listed above, applicants must possess one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 (ZP-III at NIST) level. Specialized experience is defined as: - Experience with standard microfabrication techniques including photolithography, deep reactive ion etching (DRIE), potassium hydroxide (KOH) etching, hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching, sputtered deposition of metallic films, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of dielectric films, die bonding, anodic bonding, fusion bonding, cleaning procedures (e.g., sulfuric acid, solvents, spin rinse dry), dicing, and inspection (e.g., optical microscope, profilometry, ellipsometry, white light spectrometry). - Experience with Rydberg atoms and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) techniques. - Experience with optics and laser alignment, as well as experience with designing optical fiber-coupled devices. - Demonstrated proficiency with scientific analysis and simulation tools including MATLAB, COMSOL, or related programs. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done. We will credit all qualifying volunteer experience in your application. The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. Applicant Reconsideration

Education

This position has an education requirement. Transcripts must be submitted to validate that the education requirement has been met. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. However, an official copy will be required prior to a final offer of employment.

Education completed outside of the U.S. must be evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view a listing of accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with a course by course listing) is required with your application.

Contacts

• Address RF Technology Division 100 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20899 US
• Name: Evelyn Carter-Hopkins
• Phone: 000-000-0000
• Email: [email protected]