Postdoctoral Researcher - Ewing Township, United States - InsideHigherEd

Description

Postdoctoral Research Position
Department of Physics
The College of New Jersey

To enrich education through diversity, The College of New Jersey is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The College has a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff, and strongly encourages women and members of underrepresented groups to apply.

Position Summary:

The Department of Physics at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) invites applications for a postdoctoral research position in plasma-materials interactions. The successful candidate will take responsibility for conducting experiments on nanoparticle synthesis in plasma discharges and perform materials characterization using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. TCNJ is a primarily undergraduate institution, and the postdoc will work closely with highly motivated undergraduate research students. The position is offered for up to 2 years (pending successful performance during year 1) and is funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Applicants with experience in plasma processes, plasma diagnostics, nanomaterials synthesis, and/or materials characterization are strongly encouraged to apply.

TCNJ has a strong commitment to inclusive excellence in our community and to supporting a healthy work-life balance for our faculty of teacher-scholars. TCNJ has been recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education on its honor roll of "Great Colleges to Work For."

The selected postdoctoral associate will work closely with experienced faculty mentors to gain professional development in inclusion and equity in research, student mentoring, grant proposal writing, and receive mentoring toward attainment of a full-time, tenure-track faculty position.

Main Responsibilities:

• Plan and conduct experiments on plasma synthesis of nanoparticles in ionic liquids
• Perform in-situ XPS experiments and conduct materials characterization using SEM/TEM
• Author papers and deliver presentations based on the experimental results obtained through this project
• Supervise undergraduate research students who participate on this project
• Co-teach a 7-week course on the principles and operation of scanning electron microscopy
• The postdoc is not required to teach any full-semester courses during their appointment; however, they may elect to teach an introductory physics to obtain teaching experience
  

Required Qualifications:

• PhD in a relevant field (e.g., physics, applied physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related discipline).
• Demonstrated experience with low-temperature plasmas and/or nanomaterials synthesis
• Some experience in materials characterization
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with ionic liquids or other plasma-liquid systems
• Experience operating plasma discharges and performing plasma diagnostics
• Proficiency in scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and/or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
• Experience working with undergraduate students
  

Employer Qualifications:

• Final offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check and reference checks.
  

Application Instructions:

Candidates must have a Ph.D in physics or a related field by the start date. To apply, submit the following:

(1) a cover letter explaining your specific interest in the position,

(2) a curriculum vitae,

(3) copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts, and

(4) two letters of recommendation.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled, but applications should be received by April 30, 2024 to receive full consideration. The start date is flexible, but ideally the postdoc would start in Summer or Fall 2024.

About the Physics Department

The Physics Department is housed in a recently renovated STEM complex that offers state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities and instrumentation, including new research-grade SEM and AFM facilities, a new high-performance scientific computing cluster, a new 0.7 m telescope, and a 48-seat planetarium. The Physics Department currently has eleven full-time, tenure-line faculty members (36% of whom are women), and approximately 80 majors. TCNJ's Department of Physics is consistently ranked by the American Institute of Physics and the Physics Teacher Education Coalition as a national leader in the graduation of both physics majors and of high school physics teachers. In 2019, the Physics Department hosted the American Physical Society's Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) for the Mid-Atlantic states ). Collaborative research with talented undergraduates frequently results in peer-reviewed, published scientific works. The Physics Department is part of the School of Science, along with the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Mathematics and Statistics. For more information about the department, visit:

About TCNJ

Founded in 1855, TCNJ is a selective, public primarily undergraduate institution that has earned national recognition for its commitment to excellence. TCNJ emphasizes the residential experience for our 7,000 full-time undergraduate students, 30% of whom are self-described as members of groups traditionally underrepresented in academe and STEM. Students benefit from a 13-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average class size of 21 students, which has led to TCNJ attaining a first-year to sophomore retention rate of 93% and a graduation rate of 86%. TCNJ has also received national recognition for the adoption and promotion of the teacher-scholar model for our faculty and deep engagement of our undergraduates in research.

TCNJ was awarded the inaugural "Campus-wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishment" from the Council on Undergraduate Research in 2016. In part because of TCNJ's intentional and comprehensive integration of research into our undergraduate curricula and institutional culture, an increasing number of TCNJ graduates have pursued and completed doctoral degrees over the past ten years. TCNJ was awarded, in 2006, a Phi Beta Kappa chapter—an honor shared by less than 10 percent of colleges and universities nationally. A strong liberal arts core forms the foundation for programs offered through TCNJ's seven schools—Arts and Communication; Business; Education; Engineering; Humanities and Social Sciences; Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science; and Science. TCNJ is located within an hour, by train, of New York City and Philadelphia. The College's campus is set on 289 tree-lined acres in suburban Ewing Township and is known for its natural beauty. For more information, visit

In accordance with the New Jersey First Act P.L. 2011 c.70, effective September 1, 2011, new public employees in certain positions (faculty exempt) are required to obtain New Jersey residency within one (1) year of employment. Applicants must meet the requirements listed.