Why Work at BNL?
Brookhaven National Laboratory (www.bnl.gov) delivers discovery science and transformative technology to power and secure the nation's future. Brookhaven Lab is a multidisciplinary laboratory with seven Nobel Prize-winning discoveries, 37 R&D 100 Awards, and more than 70 years of pioneering research. The Lab is primarily supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science. Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) operates and manages the Laboratory for DOE. BSA is a partnership between Battelle and The Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University.

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 RF detection and signal processing. Since 2018 we have constructed and operated the Baryon Mapping Experiment, a 4-element radio telescope array operating in L-band which is a pathfinder for a possible future radio cosmology program to observe the 21 cm emission of hydrogen as a probe of cosmic large scale structure. This project will complement current "Stage IV" Dark Energy surveys such as the Rubin Observatory, where we are also a participating institution. A second area of interest is in the development of advanced atmospheric radar instrumentation in collaboration with the Environmental and Climate Science department. New programs in this area are expected to start shortly.

We are seeking a candidate with extensive RF analog and digital electronics experience to join the teams developing these new instruments, and to take the lead in designing and characterizing the hardware and firmware that will be needed to address the challenging performance goals. 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:

• Collaborate with end users and other specialists in defining the desired performance and functionality of new instruments for cosmology and climate science.
• Work with data from existing instruments to understand outcomes and limitations
• Design, construct, and characterize signal chain elements of new instruments, including antennas, receivers, digitizers, digital signal processors, and data acquisition systems
• Using modern RFSoC platforms where possible, write firmware and software to acquire, process, and transport RF signals and data products
• Develop control and data acquisition software with appropriate user interfaces
• Develop methods for RFI mitigation
• Participate in field trials and troubleshooting
• Interact with team members to identify performance issues and new functionality needs
• Present research papers at conferences, seminars, meetings, and workshops

(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:

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field with emphasis on low-level RF signal processing and at least three (3) years experience in RF analog design, especially low-noise techniques
• Thorough familiarity with laboratory RF 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, dynamic range matching, integration, etc.
• Previous experience with firmware design for digital signal processing
• Ability to select and work with RF signal-handling components in the UHF to S-band frequency range
• Demonstrated interpersonal and collaboration skills including the ability to work successfully in an interdisciplinary environment with colleagues and others from a diversity of fields
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Willingness to work outdoors

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Experience:

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

• An advanced degree: MS or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Astronomy, or related field involving research with advanced RF technology
• Fluent in scientific computing with Matlab or Python
• Experience as author or co-author of technical papers, reports, and refereed journal articles
• Significant previous experience with either radio astronomy or radar applications
• Proven ability to work with multiple concurring projects

Environmental, Health & Safety Requirements:

• Any information pertaining to the environment, health or safety requirements for a position that will be considered when evaluating a candidate

Other Information:

• Domestic and international travel will be required

At Brookhaven National Laboratory, we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Our benefits program includes, but is not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Care Plans
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid Time-off and Leave Programs (vacation, holidays, sick leave, paid parental leave)
• 401(k) Plan
• Flexible Work Arrangements
• Tuition Assistance, Training and Professional Development Programs
• Employee Fitness/Wellness & Recreation: Gym/Basketball Courts, Weight Room, Fitness Classes, Indoor Pool, Tennis Courts, Sports Clubs/Activities (Basketball, Table Tennis, Softball, Tennis)