Research scientist: Optical trapping and sensing of nanoparticles(CHIPS Funded Project)

Overview

The Materials Measurement Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is
seeking qualified persons (U.S. Citizens preferred) to work on a NIST CHIPS R&D Metrology project that
aims at developing measurement methodologies for the detection and identification of very low
concentration of contaminants in liquid environments. The focus area includes optimizing photonic
enhancement techniques for improving the optical scattering of single impurity particles. In this regard,
surface engineering methods, theoretical modeling and optical microscopy are employed to design
robust sensors for detection of sub-20 nm particles.

Qualifications

• PhD degree in Materials, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
• Skilled in micro-fabrication, optical- and microfluidics, and optical sensing of particles
• Highly experienced in designing nanoparticle trapping techniques using optical methods
• Skilled in modeling electro-optical nano-systems to predict properties and fluid dynamics.
• Highly skilled in multiple scripting languages, including MATLAB, Python, Optiwave (FDTD), COMSOL, Proteus, Lumerical and LaTeX
• Demonstrated ability to develop prototype sensors integrated with optical fibers and detectors needed to detect and analyze the related data

Research Proposal

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Fabrication of optical cavities in a cleanroom/nanofabrication facility
• Simulation of optical micro- and nano-cavities for optical traps for nanoparticle sensing
• Construct/adapt optical microscopes for optical trapping and dark-field optical microscopy
• Perform single particle detection and spectroscopy in a microfluidic setup
• Perform different microscopies including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical microscopy (OM) equipped with a cryogenic stage for surface analysis
• Develop computer code (e.g. Python) for the development and analysis of optical cavities