Description:
PNNL is seeking an outstanding post-doctoral researcher to participate in the PICO bubble chamber dark matter search program as a member of the Radiation Detection & Nuclear Sciences (RDNS) Group.
The ideal candidate will have experience in physics data analysis, simulation and modeling, and low background experimental techniques. The researcher will make a substantial contribution to data analysis for the PICO-40L experiment, which will be installed in the SNOLAB underground laboratory in 2017. The researcher is expected to contribute to PICO-40L detector commissioning and on-going operations on-site at SNOLAB. The researcher will also participate in R&D; and design efforts for the next generation of PICO detectors.
A likely area of focus for both analysis and design efforts will be modeling the total radioactivity-induced background budget for PICO detectors, including understanding and optimizing the acoustic response. Experience with Monte Carlo simulation (e.g., Geant4), grid-scale computing, database design, and software development (C++, python) is sought. The researcher is expected to travel to PICO collaboration meetings and scientific conferences to present their research, so strong communication skills are highly desirable.
The post-doctoral researcher will also have the opportunity to participate in the RDNS Group’s applied radiation detection programs. These programs provide many hands-on laboratory instrumentation development opportunities including working in the PNNL shallow underground laboratory cleanroom.
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