Senior Scientist - 1 Year FTC

NPL is the UK’s National Metrology Institute. Our role is to research, create and deliver the measurement infrastructure which underpins the UK’s prosperity and quality of life across many fields of industry. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is seeking an experienced Senior Research Scientist to join our team in Teddington.

Some of the day to day duties and responsibilities of the Senior Scientist will involve:

• Leading cutting-edge research, recognising aspects that could be commercially viable
• Representing NPL to promote our work and raise our profile
• Crafting winning bids, in line with NPL’s growth strategy
• Working inclusively and collaboratively to develop partnership opportunities

In this post you will be part of a highly motivated team applying physics and engineering to solve challenging technical problems and will engage with external organisations to help grow our business.

As a member of a world leading Temperature and Humidity measurement group you will be involved in a range of activities from government funded research to industry focused applications. Contemporary optical thermometry techniques, focusing on luminescence materials, have the potential to provide innovative solutions to immediate industrial challenges in a diverse range of sectors including advanced manufacturing, energy and the environment, and health care.

Current research activities centre around traceable, robust thermometry in harsh environments:

• Design, construction and validation of novel single-point and imaging luminescence surface thermometry systems suitable for a wide range of industrial applications
• Development of a robust metrological foundation for luminescence thermometry including traceable calibration artifacts and extension of the lower and upper temperature measurement limits
• Application of optical diagnostics to obtain low uncertainty temperature measurements of physical experiments, including contact probes (e.g., fibre-optic), surface probes (e.g., luminescence) and gas-phase probes (e.g., laser scattering) applications
• Commercialisation of laboratory luminescence thermometers for wider industrial uptake
• This research and development role will involve:
• Design, construction, and operation of experiments, using optical components, including the development of data acquisition systems and analysis software
• Reporting your work internally to your team and externally to your customers and other stakeholders, including peer review publications, conference presentations and invited lectures
• Actively seeking engagement with colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders to grow partnerships, business income and esteem indicators
• Technical leadership in project bidding and delivery, including grant proposal writing and reporting

To apply for this science research role, you will need to have significant and proven experience in a similar position. You are recognised as a specialist and leader in your field, an accolade supported by your technical background and a list of successful research projects.

If your work has been published, all the better. Beyond that, we’re looking for someone who’ll thrive in an inclusive and collaborative environment like ours.

Skills and required background/experience:

• This senior role requires a candidate with extensive relevant expertise who is recognised nationally and/or internationally as a specialist and leader in their field.
• A degree in physics or related engineering discipline (minimum upper second class) and ideally a PhD/EngD
• Ability to interact and network with collaborators and future customers from academia and industry
• Experience in managing and developing safe H&S practices for technical labs devoted to optical diagnostics
• In-depth understanding of the underlying physical principles of optical based measurements techniques (i.e., luminescence, pyrometry and spectroscopy) and the working principles of scientific instruments (i.e., scientific cameras, fast optical detectors, oscilloscopes and spectrometers)
• Ability to problem solve and propose appropriate technical solutions to challenging engineering and fundamental science problems
• Able to communicate clearly, both verbally and in written form, through conference talks, technical reports, peer-reviewed publications and proposal writing
• Experience in supporting and developing junior scientists/engineers

Relevant technical experience to include:

• Design and implementation of optical diagnostics systems, incorporating UV/VIS laser and LED light source
• Experience in software programming, including data acquisition and data processing, such as LabVIEW, Python and MATLAB would be advantageous
• Expertise in basic numerical physics simulation software (COMSOL) and CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor) would be desirable
• Previous experience in optical non-contact thermometry, particularly phosphor thermometry and pyrometry would be a distinct advantage

If you think you have what it takes to join the Teddington-based NPL T&H team in a Senior Scientist's role, please apply here today.

We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance. Some departments may require a higher level of security clearance.

Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as possible.