Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility. Located on the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire a 20 minute drive south of Oxford in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Diamond Light Source conducts world-class research in virtually all fields of science and offers rewarding career opportunities covering both technical and scientific disciplines.

Beamline I13 is one of the latest beamlines dedicated to imaging and coherence operational since October 2011. The scientific applications for the two independently operating beamline branches relate to imaging in real (X-ray microscopy; absorption, phase-contrast and ultrafast tomography) and reciprocal spaces (coherent X-ray diffraction imaging).  Micro- and nano-structured materials from different scientific fields such as biology, materials science or earth science will be studied in the energy range of 6-30keV. Since 2010 the project is supported in collaboration with Manchester University, providing interesting academic opportunities. More detailed information can be found on the Diamond web pages.

We are currently searching for a highly motivated Post Doctoral research assistant (PDRA). The position is offered for a period of six months. The position relates mainly to the coherent diffraction imaging program of the beamline for the enhancement of our ptychography capabilities. The candidate is expected to compile different ptychography algorithms currently used into a user-friendly software package. The software will be tested for the ongoing user experiments. 

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in coherent imaging techniques. The person should be experienced in synchrotron radiation with advanced programming skills. Other candidates with a vibrant scientific background fitting to the I13 portfolio are also welcome to submit their applications.

Duties include:

• Developing experimental and data analysis techniques and implementing them on the beamline;
• Development and testing of new equipment and software;
• Python scripting for data acquisition;
• Assisting users with data analysis;
• Day-to-day responsibility for the in-house research programme including the analysis and publication of the results;
• Keeping up with latest results and research directions internationally.

Optional:

• Development of new instrumentation to upgrade the performance of the beamline;
• Procurement, installation and commissioning of beamline components and instrumentation;
• Support of users in performing their experiments at Diamond;
• Maintenance of the beamline during operations;
• Testing of samples sent to Diamond by users.

• Appropriate first degree or equivalent qualification;
• Ability and initiative to get to the heart of the problem and take it effectively through to completion;
• Good interpersonal, communication and presentational skills;
• Good organisational and planning skills;
• Ability to interact effectively with staff at all levels;
• Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team;
• Self motivation;
• Must be available to travel occasionally within the UK and abroad, including overnight absences;
• Ability to work flexibly with occasional weekend and out-of hours working;
• Relevant synchrotron research experience;
• Experience of beamline instrumentation;
• Experience with synchrotron-based techniques and instrumentation;
• Experience in imaging/tomography data analyses;
• Experience with Windows/Linux/Unix;
• Skilled in computer programming, ideally Python;
• Successful scientific publication record;
• Ability to plan and then carry out a research project;
• Ability to write research papers.

• Second degree in appropriate subject;
• Experience of sample environment equipment.