What are the responsibilities and job description for the Post-Doctoral Research Associate: Department of Physics and Astronomy - UTK position at University of Tennessee - Knoxville?
The Experimental Nuclear Structure Group at the University of Tennessee is seeking candidates for a postdoctoral position in the experimental low-energy nuclear physics program. The successful candidate will lead the operations of the new sputtering source for triton beams at the John D. Fox Laboratory, FSU. The candidate will operate and maintain the sputtering source, lead the two-neutron transfer experimental campaign and analysis.
The successful candidate will join Associate Professor Miguel Madurga’s group and:
Sustain daily operations at the multi-cathode sputtering source for UT and other laboratory users.
Actively participate in experimental campaigns at FSU utilizing the sputtering source.
Lead the two-neutron transfer reaction campaign on light lithium and beryllium isotopes.
Leverage modern analysis tools and machine learning to analyze the nuclear reaction data.
Collaborate with theorists at UTK and other institutions to interpret the nuclear reaction properties.
Collaborate with other group members and students to leverage their expertise in modern analysis techniques.
Ensure compliance with environment, safety, health and quality program requirements.
Maintain strong commitment to the implementation and perpetuation of values and ethics in scientific research.
Required Qualifications
- Education: PhD in experimental nuclear physics or closely related (e.g. nuclear engineering). Completed by October 2026
- Experience:
- An excellent track record of productive and creative research demonstrated by publications in peer reviewed journals.
- Strong verbal and writing skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively with team members, including experimental collaborators.
- Familiarity with nuclear reaction experiments and analysis.
- Familiarity with operations of ion sources.
- Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
- Proficiency with CERN’s ROOT analysis suite.
- Other Conditions:
- Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.
- Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience:
- Research experience in one-nucleon transfer experiments.
- Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
- Familiarity with machine learning coding hooks.
- Proficiency with nuclear reaction codes such as FRESCO or TALYS. Proficiency in Monte-Carlo radiation transport codes (MCNP, GEANT4)
Work Location
Onsite at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Compensation and Benefits
- Anticipated hiring range: 60,000 – 68,000
Application Instructions
For best consideration applicants should submit the below materials before December 1, 2026:
- CV
- List of publications Two reference letters
About The Department
The Department has an exemplary research record, with eight professors earning NSF CAREER awards since 2012, eight professors among the world’s top two percent of physicists based on citation count, the award of the prestigious American Physical Society 2021 Bonner Prize, eleven APS Fellows, and four AAAS Fellows. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is Tennessee’s flagship state research institution, a campus of choice for outstanding undergraduates and a premier graduate institution with a number of nationally and internationally ranked programs and with national and international leadership in numerous fields.
Benefits:
Health Insurance, Professional Development, Vacation & Paid Time OffSalary : $60,000 - $68,000