This vacancy is now closed
Job Title Senior Beamline Scientist / Beamline Scientist
Job Reference DIA0851/TH
Post Type
Division Science
Salary information Circa £42k / £33k
Application deadline 31/07/2013


Job Description

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

Diamond is currently designing a beamline for combined imaging and diffraction in the medium x-ray energy range.
The properties of many materials depend on the interaction between microstructure, stress state, phase and composition.  With DIAD’s combined imaging and micro diffraction facility we will be able to study and characterise materials and processes under these aspects and from a wide variety of scientific fields such as Soft Tissues and Implants, Geology, Palaeontology, Engineering and Material Science, Electrochemistry, and others.

The beamline consists of a highly integrated tomography instrument and a versatile set-up for monochromatic and white-beam micro-diffraction. Both instruments can be used simultaneously.
The vacancy is for a Senior Beamline Scientist/Beamline Scientist to support the Principal Beamline Scientist in the design, construction, installation, commissioning and operation of the beamline. We need a person with good experience in the design of synchrotron instrumentation and with a track record of operating a beamline and supporting users.

An independent working style and the capability to delegate and co-operate with members of the team and the support staff is essential. The applicant must have good background in data-analysis of powder diffraction and imaging data, and have a programme of scientific research.

  • Design of synchrotron instrumentation, particularly for imaging and sample manipulation
  • Installation and maintenance of beamline equipment in collaboration with support teams Devising control and data-acquisition work-flow for user-friendly operation and delegation and controlling to the relevant support groups
  • Devising strategies for post-acquisition data-analysis and data-reduction
  • Running a construction project in liaison with project planners
  • Communicating as a project leader with external suppliers
  • Assist in the development of a new item of equipment or system on the beamline, including testing and commissioning.
  • Enhance the operation of the facility by collaboration and dissemination of specialist knowledge with international researchers.

Additional duties for appointment at Senior level:

  • Local contact support to users by setting up and providing advice and guidance on the best approach to experiments, data analysis and research techniques once beamline operational
  • Develop own research/technical expertise to become internationally recognised through publications and presentations for own work in an area relevant to beamline;
  • Carry out own research in an area relevant to the beamline and disseminate through publications and presentations.
  • Contribute to scientific papers from external or in-house research.

Qualification & Experience - Essential

  • Appropriate first degree or equivalent qualification;
  • Second degree in appropriate subject;
  • Ability and initiative to get to the heart of the problem and take it effectively through to completion;
  • Excellent observational skills;
  • Good interpersonal, communication  and presentational skills;
  • Ability to interact effectively with staff at all levels;
  • Self motivated;
  • Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team;
  • Must be available to travel occasionally in UK and overseas including overnight absences;
  • Relevant synchrotron research experience;
  • Experience in Synchrotron based tomography;
  • Experience in Synchrotron based powder-diffraction;
  • Experience in analysis of tomographic data sets;
  • Experience in the basic architecture of x-ray detectors for imaging and diffraction;
  • Experience with installation and operation of beamline optics;
  • Knowledge of beamline technology;
  • Project management experience;
  • Experience in strain and phase analysis from diffraction data in material science;
  • Experience in data analysis of large data-sets using automated procedures;
  • Ability to manage a small team;

Qualification & Experience - Desirable

  • Knowledge of sample environment in material and engineering science;
  • Programming skills in Python and Java;

Further Information

Applying for employment

For further details on applying for employment at Diamond, please visit our 'Application Form' page.

Appointments will be made depending on the skills and experience of the candidate. Electronic Diamond application forms in MS-Word are preferred. These should be emailed to recruitment@diamond.ac.uk



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