Instrument Scientist for Estia

The European Spallation Source, ESS, a partnership of European countries, is hiring motivated and inspired people to design, construct and operate the world’s most powerful neutron source. We seek ambitious, talented people in different fields who are excited about playing a part in the future of science in Europe.

ESS can offer a variety of things, such as passionate and international colleagues, a vibrant melting pot of diversity, and a challenging, exciting and high paced work environment. We value and need expertise, innovative minds and great ways of leading and interacting with people from all over the world.

Come and change the world with us!

The Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging (LNS) at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in collaboration with the European Spallation Source ERIC (ESS) is searching for a new instrument scientist for the Estia project. Estia is a polarized neutron reflectometer for tiny samples that is based on a novel focusing neutron optics concept. The instrument is designed and built by PSI as a Swiss in-kind contribution to ESS and is planned to receive first neutrons in 2022, at which point it will be operated by ESS.

Job description
As the Estia Instrument Scientist, you will lead the remaining phases of the instrument design project, take part in the pre-build of components at PSI, the installation and commissioning at the ESS facility in Lund, Sweden. After the instrument transitioned to ESS for the hot commissioning operation you will be the main responsible for realizing Estia’s full scientific potential and will lead the first scientific studies on the reflectometer.


• You will lead the Estia project as instrument scientist including technical, scientific and budget responsibility
• You will oversee and guide the technical implementation with the aim to achieve the scientific goals of the instrument by closely working with the Estia lead engineer.
• Active participation in various committees at PSI, ESS and their partner institutions in order to define and implement the Estia instrument in the overall ESS project.
• You will define and conducting the initial commissioning of the instrument, insuring world class performance
• After commissioning, you will support the ESS user program as a local contact on the Estia instrument
• You will conduct your own research program with connection to the Estia science case, and submit funding applications to external national and international funding bodies as principle investigator

At PSI you will be supported by a team of engineers and technicians already familiar with the Estia project and you will have access to neutron scattering experts familiar with the underlying concepts.

At ESS you will be employed in the Instrument Scientists Group alongside a team of other instrument scientists and postdocs working on the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of the ESS suite of 15 instruments. 

Qualifications:
Essential qualifications and experience:


• PhD in the physical sciences or biology with research interests and publication record aligned with the science case of the Estia instrument, preferably involving research in the field magnetism or membrane biophysics
• Experience and technical interest in instrumentation and neutron reflectometry, preferably with using polarization analysis and time of flight techniques
• Ability to work in a team with people of a variety of disciplines in an international collaboration is paramount
• Well versed in communication in the English language
• Flexibility to travel and relocate. The project requires regular travel between ESS and PSI, and the primary work location will change from Switzerland to Sweden during employment.

 Desirable Experience:


• Knowledge of neutron scattering data treatment and modeling at a level sufficient to guide the development of instrument specific software.
• Programming experience in Python
• Experience in neutron optics and Monte Carlo ray tracing simulations
• Hands-on experience in sample preparation for reflectometry-related science

Duration & Location
The position will initially be a fixed-term contract at PSI of up to 1 year. This will be followed by a permanent position at the ESS, which will be subject to a 6 month probationary period. The workplace for the PSI contract will be Switzerland and for the ESS contract it will be Lund, Sweden.

Start date
The position is to be filled as soon as possible.

Application & Contact
Please provide your curriculum vitae in English by clicking on “apply” and follow the instructions. Please note that we only accept applications via the ESS website.

The deadline for applications is 31 July 2020.

For more information regarding the ESS recruitment process, please follow this link https://europeanspallationsource.se/ess-recruitment-process. 

For further information regarding the position, please contact the Recruiting Manager, Andrew Jackson, Group Leader Instrument Scientists, andrew.jackson@ess.eu.

For further information regarding the recruitment process, please contact HR Officer, Karin Vandenborre, karin.vandenborre@ess.eu.

For trade union information please contact Unionen / Conny Wendt at +46 46 888 34 63 

or SACO / Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers/ Riccardo Bevilacqua at +46 46 888 32 28.

We look forward to receiving your application!