Post-Doctoral Researcher - Superconducting Quantum Sensors for Neutrino Physics, Dark Matter, and Rare Isotopes

Post-Doctoral Researcher - Superconducting Quantum Sensors for Neutrino Physics, Dark Matter, and Rare Isotopes

The Quantum Technologies at the Sensitivity Frontier (QTSF) group at the Colorado School of Mines, led by Prof. Wouter Van De Pontseele, is hiring a post-doctoral researcher to develop superconducting sensors and scalable cryogenic readout for neutrino and dark matter experiments. The postdoc will lead one or two research thrusts. Sensor fabrication is handled by NIST and other partner institutions, so the work centers on characterization, readout, and integration into experiments.

The position has guaranteed funding for two years, starting in January 2027. Extension beyond that is possible, subject to funding and performance.

ABOUT THE GROUP

QTSF (qtsf.mines.edu) develops quantum sensors to search for physics Beyond the Standard Model. The group has five PhD students and works closely with several faculty in Mines’ Quantum Engineering program. Current involvement:

• BeEST: precision studies of radioactive isotopes with eV-scale superconducting sensors.
• RICOCHET: coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) at the ILL reactor in Grenoble, France.
• Project 8: a direct neutrino mass measurement using Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy.
• Dark matter: demonstrator experiments for dark matter searches.
• CURIE: the Colorado Underground Research Institute, Mines’ underground laboratory.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Characterize superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) and transition-edge sensors (TESs), including sub-eV sensors, and integrate them into cryogenic experiments.
• Develop microwave SQUID multiplexing and RFSoC-based readout with bandwidths above 100 kHz for scalable cryogenic experiments.
• Operate the group’s dilution refrigerator.
• Collaborate actively with NIST Boulder’s Quantum Sensors and Advanced Microwave Photonics groups, meeting at least monthly.
• Collaborate with PNNL, LLNL, Yale, MIT, Northwestern, and UC Berkeley, with occasional travel within the US and to France.
• Mentor PhD students and Quantum Engineering master’s students.
• Publish results and present them at conferences and seminars.

The position prepares candidates for careers in academia, national laboratories, or industry. It includes teaching opportunities in Mines’ Quantum Engineering program and access to partners through the Elevate Quantum regional ecosystem.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• A PhD in Physics, Quantum Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with superconducting sensors (e.g., STJs, TESs, MMCs, KIDs) or other cryogenic detectors.
• Experience with SQUID or microwave SQUID multiplexed readout.
• Experience with dilution refrigerators, vector network analyzers, or RFSoC platforms (e.g., QICK).
• Knowledge of low-background techniques or low-threshold detector development.
• Bonus: sensor packaging and wirebonding, or microwave and electromagnetic simulation (e.g., HFSS, SONNET, COMSOL).

TOTAL REWARDS

$60,000 - $70,000 annual salary rate

Mines takes into consideration a combination of candidate’s education, training and experience as well as the position’s scope and complexity, the discretion and latitude required in the role, work location, and external market and internal value when determining a salary level for potential new employees.

Colorado School of Mines offers a robust portfolio of benefits for all employees. For this role, that includes:

• Flexible health and dental care options
• Generous sick/vacation time: 13 paid holidays per year – including a week-long winter break for entire campus.
• Fully vested retirement plan on first day of employment, with generous employer contribution (12% from Mines in a MDCP averaging $8,640 a year)
• Tuition benefits (6 credits per year for employees, 50 percent discount for dependents)
• RTD Ecopass for free regional light rail and bus transportation

All Mines employees also have access to discount programs through the State of Colorado and free tickets for Mines Athletics home games, as well as access to the state of the art Recreation Center (fitness classes and training, swimming pool and more) and equipment rentals through the Outdoor Rec Center. We are proud to have an on campus daycare center.

About Mines & Golden, CO

Colorado School of Mines is a top-ranked public university solving the grand challenges facing our society, particularly those related to the Earth, energy and the environment. Mines graduates are change makers, boundary breakers and problem solvers. Mines faculty members are pushing their fields in new directions, whether that’s manufacturing, space resources, quantum engineering, carbon capture or more. Mines was recently classified as a R1 “Very High Activity” research institution by Carnegie. That size – roughly 8,200 undergraduate and graduate students – translates to a close-knit campus community, where employees have opportunities to get involved in multiple ways, continued professional learning is valued and everyone can make an impact.

Are you looking for an inspiring, mission-driven workplace where you can contribute to solving the world’s problems and educating the next generation of change makers? Look to Mines.

Colorado's premier engineering and applied science university for 150 years and counting