Research Officer

Employment 0.8 - 1.0 FTE

Gross monthly salary € 3,974 - € 5,439

Required background PhD

Organizational unit Faculty of Science

Application deadline 14 April 2023

Are you an experimentalist interested in research in high magnetic fields, and would you like to collaborate with many visiting international colleagues? And does developing technology and instrumentation while supporting and developing complex experiments excite you? Then join our HFML-FELIX team as a Research Officer at our international user facility with the highest DC magnetic fields available for research in Europe and worldwide.

We are looking for colleagues to develop and maintain a suite of experimental platforms and to work alongside internal and external users performing state-of-the-art experiments in high magnetic fields. Your primary role in our organisation comprises two main activities: performing user support for our international research programme and developing new and existing experimental platforms.

You will take part in the scientific support of the HFML-FELIX international user programme, by advising the in-house and visiting scientists on the (technical) execution of their research plans. You will work independently as well as together with other scientists on different scientifically and technically challenging projects. To do so, you will develop in-depth knowledge of our scientific techniques. This part of the role also includes collaboration on publications and progress reports of the in-house and visiting scientists, part of which is the collection, analysis and interpretation of measurement data to advance the instrumentation, as well as the research itself. You will be expected to develop a coordinating role within the user programme.

Depending on your expertise and interest, you will be encouraged to develop new and existing experimental platforms, engage in own research activities with those platforms, and coordinate instrumentational developments and innovations to keep HFML-FELIX at the forefront of the international scientific community of high-magnetic field laboratories.

We have several positions available.

Profile

• You have a PhD in experimental physics or a related field with relevance to high-magnetic-field research.
• You enjoy and have experience working in an academic environment and have an interest in working on challenging technological and academic projects in collaboration with other scientists.
• You have experience with at least one of the following experimental techniques and you are keen to apply and develop them further:
  • Optical spectroscopy (e.g. PL, PLE & Raman).
  • Ultra-fast pump-probe techniques.
  • Far-infrared spectroscopy.
  • Low-temperature techniques (e.g. dilution refrigerators, 3He and 4He systems).
  • Advanced low-noise electronic measurements.
  • Magneto-transport measurements.
  • Thermodynamic measurements (e.g. calorimetry, magnetometry, susceptibility, thermal conductivity and thermoelectric power).
  • Experiments under uniaxial strain and hydrostatic pressure.
• You have strong interpersonal skills and you are a team player who likes working in a dynamic multidisciplinary environment.
• You have strong organisational skills and enjoy coordinating projects and research in diverse settings.
• Excellent communication skills in English are essential.

We are

HFML-FELIX is an international research institute. We develop world-class high-field magnets and free electron lasers, which are used by scientists at our own institute as well visiting researchers from all over the world. HFML-FELIX is jointly managed by Radboud University and the institute organisation of NWO and is part of the Faculty of Science at Radboud University. We are a team of approximately 80 people in scientific, technical and supporting positions. Our mission is to make high magnetic fields and intense infrared and THz radiation available for excellent and disruptive science. We have in-house research groups and collaborate with many visiting scientists from all over the world. Together, we contribute to the improvement of society, by strengthening the scientific and technical knowledge, and by training the next generation of researchers and engineers. As an institute, we are striving to further strengthen our leading position in molecular and material research. HFML-FELIX's research programme is embedded in the Institute for Molecules and Materials (IMM), an interdisciplinary research institute in the Faculty of Science.

HFML-FELIX has seven research groups and two technical teams, focusing on free-electron laser and magnet technology. In addition, we welcome over 400 guest researchers each year. These visiting researchers have been granted measurement time on one of our high-field magnets, which they use for their research projects. HFML-FELIX closely collaborates with similar laboratories in Europe, specifically within EMFL (European Magnetic Field Laboratory), LEAPS (League of European Accelerator-Based Photon Sources) and FELs of Europe.

Radboud University

We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? Because this is what the world around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an indispensable contribution to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This is what unites the more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University. And this requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

We offer

• It concerns an employment for 0.8 - 1.0 FTE.
• The gross monthly salary amounts to a minimum of €3,974 and a maximum of €5,439 based on a 38-hour working week, depending on previous education and number of years of relevant work experience (salary scale 11). Starting scale 10 may be applicable.
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be employed for an initial period of two years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended for one more year.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services. Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.
• The position involves performing experiments at HFML which will also be carried out outside normal working hours in the evenings and at weekends.
• During a set number of weeks in the year (typically 8 to 12), you will be required to work in a shift system, including morning , evening, and weekend shifts.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Would you like more information?

For questions about the position, please contact Uli Zeitler, group leader Semiconductors & Nanostructures at +31 24 365 30 61 or Uli.Zeitler@ru.nl. Alternatively, you can contact Steffen Wiedmann, Associate Professor Semiconductors & Nanostructures at +31 24 365 33 70 or steffen.wiedmann@ru.nl.

Practical information and applying

You can apply until 14 April 2023, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application Britta Redlich, director HFML-FELIX. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A letter of motivation explaining why you would like to join our team and stating your skills in relation to the above requirements.
• Your CV, including the names and contact information of two referees.

The first round of interviews will take place in week 18. The second round of interviews will take place in week 21. You would preferably begin employment as soon as possible.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.