Diamond Light Source is a new synchrotron and a leading scientific facility of its type in the world. Located on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in South Oxfordshire, we host facilities supporting cutting edge research in all fields of science. 

We require a motivated support scientist to assist the users with their experiments, maintaining the beamline during operation, developing and testing of new equipment and software. Candidates will have an appropriate qualification and experience in the use of scientific instrumentation and data collection. Experience of laboratory work and synchrotron radiation techniques are essential. Knowledge of X-ray absorption spectroscopy or a neighboring area, such as X-ray diffraction, preferred.

X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) is an established technique providing essential element specific information about the local atomic geometry and about the chemical state of the absorbing atom. The technique is not limited to the crystalline phase materials, but may be used with highly disordered amorphous, liquid and gaseous samples.

The Core-XAS beamline is designed to complement the specialized activities undertaken at the other XAS beamlines, allowing experiments with more general and less flux demanding specifications, preliminary studies, and time resolved experiments. This EXAFS beamline will be used for an extensive range of studies that will underpin research programmes across a wide range of applications, including local structure and electronic state of active components, and the study of materials including fluids, crystalline and non-crystalline (amorphous phases & colloids) solids, catalysts, surfaces and biomaterials.

We are seeking a self motivated candidate to work as a support scientist on this beamline.

Duties

Scientific support to B18 and the user operation programme.

• Assist in the installation, assembly, and maintenance of a range of equipment and systems on the beamline and support laboratories, including testing and commissioning;
• Provide support to users, answering queries and ensuring they are fully briefed to use the appropriate equipment;
• Measurement of samples sent to Diamond by users; including data reduction and basic reports;
• Undertake problem solving and fault diagnosis of complex instrumentation eg the beamline endstation;
• Technical support to users and in-house research activities;
• Management of beamline peripheral laboratories where appropriate;
• Produce documentation for external users to enable use of standard laboratory instrumentation;
• Co-ordinate meetings, documents, reports and communications.

• Experience in the use of scientific instrumentation;
• Experience in scientific data collection;
• Knowledge of synchrotron radiation techniques;
• Experience in laboratory work;
• Experience with Windows/ Linux/Unix;
• Good interpersonal, communication and presentational skills;
• Ability to interact with staff and facility users at all levels;
• Ability to work flexibly with occasional weekend and out-of hours working;
• Ability and initiative to get to the heart of the problem and take it effectively through to completion;
• 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.

• Appropriate PhD degree or equivalent qualification or experience;
• Experience in X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy or neighboring areas such as X-ray diffraction;
• Experience in the relevant area of science, eg catalysis, environmental science, amorphous materials, solid state chemistry.
• Experience at large scale facilities.
• Experience in programming.