Job Posting Title:

Research Associate

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Hiring Department:

Department of Physics

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Jan 01, 2025

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

The College of Natural Sciences at UT Austin, strives to foster a work environment that enables all employees to contribute at the highest possible level to support the mission of the University.  What starts here really does change the world.  For more information about the College of Natural Sciences, please visit. https://cns.utexas.edu.  

The Department of Physics plays a pivotal role in the advancing of knowledge, nurturing the next generation of physicists and making a lasting impact on the world of physics.

The university offers an impressive benefits package including:

Employer paid health insurance (employee premiums covered at 100%; spouse and family premiums at 50%)

Dental, vision, life and disability insurance options

Paid vacation and sick leave

Paid holidays

Retirement plan

For more details, please see: Prospective Employee Benefits and My Total Rewards. 

This position is for 1 year, continuation is contingent upon funding.

Job Description Summary

Conduct research in experimental neutrino physics, perform shift duties on the NOvA experiment at Fermilab, analyze neutrino test beam data, simulate neutrino experiments using GEANT4. Use ROOT system for data analysis using modern ML/AI algorithms. Conduct research in nuclear medical imaging. Design and assemble a positron-emission (PET) scanner, perform calibrations of the scanner, travel and take phantom data with the FLASH proton beam at MD Anderson CC, conduct data analysis of beam-activated phantoms, perform imaging and dosimetry of irradiations using CASToR, intimate familiarity with the time-of-flight and the depth-of-interaction reconstruction techniques.

Responsibilities

Experimental Neutrino Research and Data Analysis: Conduct research in experimental neutrino physics, including performing shift duties on the NOvA experiment at Fermilab, analyzing neutrino test beam data, and using simulations (e.g., GEANT4) to optimize experimental setups. Apply advanced data analysis techniques using the ROOT framework and modern machine learning algorithms to extract meaningful insights from large datasets.

Medical Imaging Research and PET Scanner Development: Design, assemble, and calibrate positron-emission tomography (PET) scanners for nuclear medical imaging applications, ensuring system performance and accuracy. Perform imaging and dosimetry using the CASToR system to evaluate irradiations and optimize imaging protocols.

Data Collection and Analysis in Proton Therapy: Travel to MD Anderson Cancer Center to collect phantom data with the FLASH proton beam, conduct detailed data analysis of beam-activated phantoms, and contribute to research on proton therapy’s impact on medical imaging and dosimetry.

Advanced Reconstruction Techniques: Apply and refine time-of-flight (TOF) and depth-of-interaction (DOI) reconstruction techniques to enhance imaging quality and improve the accuracy of both neutrino physics experiments and medical imaging systems.

Required Qualifications:

PhD in experimental particle physics, at least 7 years of experience past the PhD degree.

Preferred Qualifications:

Advanced skills with modern hardware and software tools of particle physics such as GEANT4, ROOT, PMTs, digital oscilloscopes, scintillators, Linux computer system, medical tomography and dosimetry.

Salary

$59,483

Working Conditions

Some lifting and moving of equipment may be required.

May work in standard office conditions.

Travel to conduct measurements at other laboratories required.

Required Materials

Resume/CV

Cover Letter

3 Letters of References

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume in the first step of the online job application process. Then, any additional Required Materials will be uploaded in the My Experience section; you can multi-select the additional files or click the Upload button for each file. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find Jobs. Before you apply though, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left-hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile. This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page, and you will need to click the Upload button multiple times in order to attach your Resume, References and any additional Required Materials noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.