Diamond Light Source is seeking a motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) to help develop advanced imaging at the I13 imaging and coherence beamline. You will work in a dynamic team in a rapidly developing field and have excellent opportunities for science and collaboration.

Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility. Located at Harwell Science & Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, we enable world-leading research across a wide range of scientific disciplines and industrial applications.

Beamline I13 has been operational since October 2011. The two independently operating beamline branches provide facilities for imaging in real (X-ray microscopy; absorption, phase contrast and ultrafast tomography) and reciprocal space (coherent X-ray diffraction imaging). The current position is centred on the coherence branch. The candidate will be tasked with progressing the implementation of ptychography and variations of the technique as a user experiment on the beamline. In addition the person will be expected to develop their own scientific profile in line with the beamline programme.
 

The PDRA position is for a period of a year and the possibility of further extension.

The candidate will have some experience in the fields and application examples described in the current advertisement and on the I13 web pages.

The aim of the role is to  work within the I13 team to undertake research. The PDRA will be expected to implement ptychography for user operation. The person is expected to carry out an individual research program.

Key Responsibilities:

Work in the I13 team in the following areas:

• Day-to-day responsibility for the in-house research programme including the analysis and publication of the results;
• Maintenance of the beamline during operations;
• Development and testing of new equipment and software;
• Procurement, installation and commissioning of beamline components and instrumentation;
• Support of users in performing their experiments at Diamond;
• Testing of samples sent to Diamond by users;
• Development of new instrumentation to upgrade the performance of the beamline;
• Keeping up with latest results and research directions internationally;
• Assisting users with data analysis;
• Developing experimental and data analysis techniques and implementing them on the beamline;
• Jython scripting for data acquisition;
• Act periodically as local contact.

• Appropriate first degree or equivalent qualification;
• Appropriate PhD;
• Ability to plan and then carry out a research project;
• Relevant synchrotron research experience;
• Experience of beamline instrumentation;
• Experience with synchrotron-based techniques and instrumentation;
• 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;
• Ability to work flexibly with occasional weekend.

• Second degree in appropriate subject;
• Experience in imaging/tomography data analyses;
• Experience of sample environment equipment;
• Experience with Windows/Linux/Unix;
• Skilled in computer programming, ideally Python;
• Ability to write research papers.

Must be available to travel occasionally within the UK and abroad, including overnight absences.