Electrical Engineer for Nanoscale Quantum Systems

Full Job Description

PML's Nanoscale Spectroscopy Group is hiring an Electrical Engineer for Nanoscale Quantum Systems to lead fabrication, modeling, & testing of optoelectronic color center devices.

They will advance engineered artificial atoms for quantum sensing using advanced electrical/magnetic spectroscopies, while leading collaborations & publishing high-impact research.

This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: A. Degree in Engineering.

To be acceptable, the program must: Lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; OR Include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (1) statics, dynamics; (2) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (3) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (4) thermodynamics; (5) electrical fields and circuits; (6) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (7) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR B.

Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, AND (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering.

The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico.

Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration.

For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.

Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A.

The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.

Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions.

(The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.) AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to the basic requirements listed above, applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-12 level (ZP-III at NIST).

Specialized experience is defined as: Experience working in characterizing and validating the properties of optically active solid-state spin defects across a range of materials like diamond, silicon carbide, silicon, boron nitride, GaN, and/or others; and Experience designing advanced magnetic and electrical data acquisition methods (for example: magnetic resonance measurements of electronic devices and semiconductor materials; construction of complex electromagnetic measurement systems and modeling; physics of magnetism; magnetization dynamics; diamond NV-center magnetometry; microwave instrumentation; and design and nanofabrication of magnetic test samples).

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S.

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.

If requesting reconsideration of your qualification determination, please refer to the following site: Applicant Reconsideration Major Duties:

The mission of NIST's Nanoscale Device Characterization Division is to develop and advance the measurement and knowledge infrastructure to characterize nano- and atom-scale engineered materials and solid-state devices for innovation in information processing, sensing, and future quantum technologies.

If hired for this role, your major duties will include: Fabrication and Modeling: Lead the design, fabrication, and testing of optoelectronic devices utilizing solid-state defects (color centers).

Develop device models to interpret experimental results and optimize the performance of nano- and micro-scale deterministic systems.

Advanced Spectroscopy and Control: Study the physics of spin-based emissions using advanced pulsing techniques and multimodal spectroscopies (electrical, optical, and magnetic).

Implement complex characterization schemes, including charge pumping and magnetic resonance, to control quantum systems.

Material Characterization: Develop measurements and analysis for the electrical characterization of NV-diamond and other emerging quantum materials, such as Si and SiC, to advance the development of engineered artificial atoms for sensing and information processing.

Collaboration and Dissemination: Lead internal and external collaborations across industry, academia, and international partners.

Disseminate high-impact research findings through peer-reviewed publications and technical presentations at international conferences.