Research Technician

Department: College of Science

Classification: Research Staff 12-month

Job Category: Research Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Restricted: Yes

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Department of Physics and Astronomy includes over 40 faculty members, 100 undergraduate students (BS), and 80 graduate students (MS and PhD). Our faculty and students collaborate with local, national, and international research institutions, including the Applied Research Lab, Argonne National Laboratory, CERN, Naval Research Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Space Telescope Science Institute, and the US Naval Observatory. For more information on the department, see http://physics.gmu.edu.

George Mason University, a Carnegie Research I institution, is Virginia's largest and most diverse university with more than 39,000 students representing all 50 states and more than 135 countries. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, Mason is part of the Washington DC metropolitan area offering easy access to the scientific and political resources of the nation’s capital.
The George Mason University College of Science (Mason Science) is committed to advancing access, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (AJEDI) throughout our STEM community, including within our hiring and retention practices. At Mason Science, our values include fostering an organizational culture that promotes Anti-Racism, belonging, respect, and civility. We believe that a diversity of opinions, cultures, and perspectives is what provides vibrancy, innovation, and growth to an academic community. By prioritizing inclusive excellence in academics, teaching, research, and global engagement, we strive to attract a diverse pool of faculty and staff who exemplify the Mason Science mission and vision.

About the Position:

The Research Technician is a research staff position. The technician assists with development of the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) instrument. COSI will be a space-based soft gamma-ray survey telescope designed to perform imaging, spectroscopy, and polarization of astrophysical gamma-ray sources. The Naval Research Laboratory is designing and building the front-end electronics, data acquisition system, and anticoincidence shield detectors for this NASA-funded mission. The work involved will be carried out under contract at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC.
The position will be available for a minimum of one year, with possible extension for longer. The position is full-time, although part time work is possible.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in testing of application-specific integrated circuits, Assist in testing data acquisition system, including FPGA;
• Assist in testing anticoincidence shield scintillator detectors and their associated electronics; and
• Develop Python-based software tools for debugging, testing, automation, and analysis.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, electrical engineering, or related technical field obtained within the past 3 years;
• Experience working with scintillation crystals in detectors;
• Experience working in a lab, or lab coursework in physics, electrical engineering, or related technical fields;
• Experience with scientific data analysis and image analysis;
• Proficiency in computer programming including Java and Python; and
• Fluency in spoken and written English language.

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Research Technician at https://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application; and provide a cover letter, CV, letter of recommendation, and list of three professional references with contact information.

Posting Open Date: January 29, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by: February 26, 2024

Open Until Filled?: Yes