Organizational Overview

The mission of the Instrumentation Division is to develop state-of-the-art instrumentation required for experimental research programs at Brookhaven Lab and to maintain the expertise and facilities in specialized high technology areas essential for this work. Development of facilities is motivated by present Brookhaven research programs and anticipated future directions of research. Our work has a significant impact on programs throughout the world that rely on state-of-the-art radiation detectors and readout electronics. 

Position Description

The Instrumentation Division has several challenging projects involving advanced radio frequency (RF) science and signal processing. Of current interest are two areas of 21cm radio cosmology: Large Scale Structure determination using hydrogen intensity mapping interferometry at moderate redshift, and detection of the global Dark Ages 21cm signal from the lunar far side. We also support RF instrument development in a broad range of application areas including accelerator diagnostics, manipulation of superconducting qubit systems, atmospheric radar, frequency-domain multiplexing of multichannel detector systems, and wireless data transport in a variety of experimental environments.

We are looking for a scientist with extensive Radio frequency and/or Radio Astronomy experience to work on hardware, instrument development, and data analysis for these projects. The candidate will work closely with specialists in the Signal Processing and Data Acquisition Groups in our Division, as well as with scientists in other BNL departments and collaborating outside institutions.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Carry out performance modeling, simulation, and optimization of the RF elements of new instruments
• Design, construct, and characterize RF signal chains for new instruments, including antennas, receivers, digitizers, digital signal processors, low-noise power sources, and data acquisition systems
• Develop control and data acquisition software with appropriate user interfaces
• Simulate, measure, and analyze electromagnetic interference (EMI) effects on system performance
• Participate in field trials and troubleshooting
• Advance new approaches to system calibration
• Interact with team members to identify performance issues and new functionality needs
• Document and disseminate research results through publications and conduct research presentations at meetings and conferences.

(The selected candidate will be placed at the appropriate professional level dependent upon depth and breadth of relevant knowledge and skills, as well as years of relevant experience.)

Position Requirements

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

You are qualified for this position if you have:

• PhD in Physics, Astrophysics, Astronomy or a related field with emphasis on low-level RF signal processing and at least three (3) years’ experience in RF analog or digital design, especially low-noise techniques
• Thorough familiarity with RF laboratory equipment including antennas, signal generators, spectrum and vector network analyzers, oscilloscopes, power meters, filters and attenuators noise sources, and associated measurement techniques
• Experience working with digital signal processing in the context of RF signals: frequency translation, filtering, complex transforms, dymanic range matching, integration etc.
• Fluency in scientific computing with Python, familiarity with Github
• Demonstrated ability to perform research independently and as part of a research group
• Clear and concise oral and written communication, and interpersonal and analytical skills
• Demonstrated track record of publication of research in high quality peer-reviewed journals and deliver of presentations
• Willingness to work outdoors

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Experience:

You are well-matched to this position if you have:

• Research background in Radio Astronomy or Cosmology
• Experience with spacecraft electronic systems
• Practical experience assembling and testing analog/digital electronics
• Experience with C++ and/or VHDL for firmware design and digital signal processing
• Experience with electromagnetic simulation software (CST, FEKO, HFSS) for designing and analyzing radio frequency experiments

Other Information:

• Domestic and international travel will be required