Careers

The Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute at UBC (Blusson QMI) is a world-leading venture advancing research into solid state systems and phenomena that explicitly involve quantum mechanics. Among its core areas of expertise are the development of materials hosting novel quantum electronic states, and measurement of nanoscale electronic and photonic structures built from these materials, whose device characteristics display remarkable new paradigms of operation.

Blusson QMI has invested heavily in acquiring and building state-of-the-art cryogenic, electronic, and spectroscopic equipment, including a cryogenic system from ColdEdge Technologies, a Bruker FT-IR spectrometer, mid infrared lasers, silicon photonic probe stations, and superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors.

The Cryogenic and Photonic Technician is responsible for the operation and maintenance of various custom-integrated measurement tools, including but not limited to these newly acquired tools, with the aim of delivering state of the art cryo-photonic spectroscopy measurement capabilities to research groups at Blusson QMI.

To this end, the post holder, who should already have experience in low temperature electronics, optics, and cryogenic systems, will be responsible for the assembly, maintenance, and operation of laboratory equipment. The individual is expected to work independently, with a proactive and creative spirit and in close collaboration with colleagues, in order to deliver what is required of the role.

The post holder also has a duty to ensure that all tasks conducted within Blusson QMI labs are performed in a safe manner that conforms to current legislation and workplace protocols.

Project details:

Silicon Quantum Leap (SiQL) aims to develop the first practical, universal quantum computer. Quantum computers will be able to solve problems that remain intractable today with even the largest conventional supercomputers, and launch a new epoch of information processing technology that transcends the technical revolutions of the last half-century (computers, mobile smart phones, the Internet, etc.). SiQL is poised to vault ahead of other quantum information technology efforts because it offers the most compelling solutions to the remaining hard challenges.

Our novel strategy is to couple stationary spin qubits together with silicon photonic circuits. The spin qubits in silicon and the silicon photonic circuits can both be readily integrated with ordinary silicon electronic circuits and quickly scaled up by leveraging the same equipment and techniques that semiconductor manufacturers have refined to mass produce silicon circuits.

Organizational Status

The Cryogenic and Photonic Technician reports to Jeff Young and Lukas Chrostowski, the Principal Investigators in charge of the SiQL project.  The post holder will work independently and pro-actively, and will be often required to collaborate closely with researchers.

Work Performed

The Cryogenic and Photonic Technician will be responsible for building, maintaining and operating apparatus that includes the ColdEdge Stinger Cryogenic System, Bruker Vertex-80 FT-IR spectroscopy system, a home-built tunable mid-infrared laser, and several custom probe stations. The technician will maintain all the equipment and be fluent in how each component functions and integrates with the others.  They will also contribute to documentation of operation procedures and reports in relation to the equipment.

The following items reflect the most important tasks associated with the post. The list is not complete and may change as the role evolves with time. The technician:

• Follows the direction of the principal investigator in the building, setup and operation of test equipment.
• Works on a number of different projects, that includes internal and external stakeholders.
• Monitors the performance of equipment to ensure that these equipment remain accurate and perform to specifications.
• Offers time, skills and expertise to other Blusson QMI labs and projects, as instructed by the principal investigator, and performs other tasks relevant to the job tasks, as required. Interacts with researchers and research partners, including discussing new projects, reporting on results, and coordinating work.

Minimum Qualifications
Graduation from a technical college or institute and a minimum two years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Be familiar with the underlying principles of lasers, optical spectroscopies, interface electronics and cryogenic systems.
• Computer skills, including CAD-related software
• Experience in a research and/or research & development setting
• Proven working knowledge and hands-on experience in prototyping and machining of test apparatus
• Proven awareness of safe work practices
• Lab instrumentation/equipment fault finding and fault diagnosis skills
• Demonstrated team work qualities

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven working knowledge of photonic test techniques, including but not limited to: tunable laser transmission measurements of photonic integrated circuits

Please apply at: https://ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/ubcstaffjobs

· Job Posting number: JR6323

· Application deadline: February 27, 2021 at 11:59pm

This is a term appointment, with an expected end date of March 31, 2024.

UBC offers a competitive benefits package including extended medical, dental, life insurance, professional development and pension.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the BC Human Rights Code including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit or Indigenous person.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (Blusson QMI) at UBC is a world-leading venture into research of systems and phenomena explicitly involving quantum mechanics. Research in the institute’s core interests require sophisticated Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV) design. Under the direction of our principal investigators, and in support of our Grand Challenges research program, the Research Engineer will lead the design and construct novel custom-built UHV systems required to conduct our experiments. The engineer’s responsibilities will also include testing, troubleshooting and installing systems that are required for monitoring and automating. The Research Engineer will work with Blusson QMI staff and trainees in building and assembling infrastructure, and will assist them in generating solutions that meet all respective design criteria and achieving a thorough understanding of their experiments at a technical level.

Organizational Status

The Research Engineer will report directly to the Operations Manager. As required, will also provide support and take direction from Blusson QMI Principal Investigators whose research work involves vacuum systems, and who will rely on the Research Engineer’s expertise in this area.

Work Performed

UHV design and construction

– Design and construct UHV vacuum systems using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software – Autodesk Inventor mainly, may also be required to work with Solidworks;

– Take a UHV concept from design to finish and deliver a working solution;

– Solve design and assembly problems, and develop and improve assembly techniques and documentation;

– Work closely with Blusson QMI technical design team;

– Ultrasonic cleaning and assembly of UHV vacuum systems;

– Optimization and upkeep of existing fully functioning UHV systems – leak detection of equipment as required. Designing and testing, as well as logging of vacuum related data (pressure, temperature, outgassing rates) to fully characterize each UHV system;

– Careful bakeout of UHV systems; maintenance of bakeout equipment; remote monitoring of bakeout temperatures and logging such data; maintain records of system performance;

– Understand researchers’ projects and work systematically to design and develop the necessary systems;

– Other tasks as assigned by the Operations Manager

General

– Work closely with vendors, suppliers, and contractors in general and in obtaining specialized vacuum equipment quotes for various projects;

– Identify research opportunities into new equipment that will allow researchers to broaden the scope of their work; prepare and write proposals to rationalize allocation of funds to the project;

– Research and develop new experimental design techniques that will increase and maintain scientific excellence; prepare reports on these, and other, research activities;

– Work closely and effectively with research groups and other members of the Blusson QMI community;

– Other tasks as assigned by the Operations Manager

Fostering Learning

– Provide engineering advice and mentoring to students and other researchers related to vacuum systems;

– Prepare and present UHV/HV related workshops for Blusson QMI members;

– Attend tradeshows and other technical events; visit experts, or host visitors, who can further the knowledge and research activities of Blusson QMI, including from academia, industry and government agencies;

– Other tasks as assigned by the Operations Manager

Minimum Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in Engineering or Applied Science. Minimum of three years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

– Senior-level knowledge and experience with UHV design is essential

– Comfortable and skilled at performing UHV design work independently, without supervision

– Demonstrated proficiency with AutoDesk Inventor

– Good verbal, writing and communication skills

Please apply at: https://ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/ubcstaffjobs

· Job Posting number: JR4531

· Application deadline: November 18, 2021 at 11:59pm

This is a term appointment, with an expected end date of August 31, 2023.

UBC offers a competitive benefits package including extended medical, dental, life insurance, professional development and pension.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (Blusson QMI) at UBC is seeking PhD-level scientific research staff to support activity in the fabrication and characterization of 2D van der Waals materials, as well as in coordinating and maintaining a state-of-the-art 2D materials laboratory. This multi-year position as a Research Associate will play a leadership role in Blusson QMI’s recently launched Grand Challenge program investigating Engineering Exotic Phases in Two Dimensions. The role will support Blusson QMI’s interest in a spectrum of 2D materials including graphene, BSCCO flakes, and transition metal dichalcogenides. In addition to training students and postdoctoral researchers and helping them conduct research in these directions, this role will further coordinate the research activities within the wider Grand Challenge team.

The Research Associate will conduct and oversee equipment building and maintenance of the laboratory, as well as coordinate with other institute members on creating specialized equipment for transporting samples between the 2D fabrication facility and our diverse experimental apparatus, including a state-of-the-art scanning tunneling microscopy lab and an angle-resolved photo-emission spectroscopy lab. The successful candidate will be responsible for coordinating research within the Grand Challenge program and collaborating with other national and international academic institutions, government, and industry organizations.  The Research Associate will work with principal investigators, technical staff, international partners, students, and other trainees, and, besides the previous focus points, also participate in the creation of scientific knowledge and writing of academic papers.

Blusson QMI is a world-leading venture into research of systems and phenomena involving quantum materials. We believe in the power of collaboration to fuel the search for creative solutions and, in addition to building a strong interdisciplinary team of experimentalists and theorists from physics, chemistry and engineering, have established strong and active partnerships with TRIUMF, the Canadian Light Source, the Max Planck Society, and many other world leading institutions.

The successful candidate will thrive in our collegial culture and will bring the following qualifications:

• Fundamental knowledge and expertise of 2D van der Waals materials;
• Experience with design and building of 2D material stacking facility;
• Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics or other area relevant to the research pursuits of Blusson QMI;
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in a research, or research and development, environment;
• Publications in reputable scientific journals;
• Experience mentoring students or staff;
• Capacity to pursue independent research;
• Ability to manage large research programs.

Please apply at: https://ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/ubcfacultyjobs

· Job Posting number: JR4959

· Application deadline: November 28, 2021 at 11:59pm

This is a term appointment, with an expected end date of August 31, 2024.

UBC offers a competitive benefits package including extended medical, dental, life insurance, professional development and pension.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the BC Human Rights Code including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit or Indigenous person.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (Blusson QMI) at UBC is seeking a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in computational condensed matter physics and/or quantum information science to investigate classical and quantum algorithms for simulating quantum many-body systems including correlated electron materials and non-equilibrium dynamics AMO settings.

In addition to supporting fundamental scientific inquiry related, the role will provide theory support for an experiment/theory collaboration between QMI PI Prof. Andrew Potter and Prof. Shyam Shankar (UT Austin) to implement holographic simulations of materials on superconducting devices using quantum tensor network representations. The postdoctoral researcher would also have opportunities to collaborate with industry quantum computing partners.

The ideal candidate would have experience in one or more of the following areas:

– matrix-product state or tensor-network methods

– simulation of open-quantum dynamics in AMO systems or superconducting qubits

– developing near-term quantum algorithms (e.g. variational methods)

– other computational quantum many-body methods (quantum Monte-Carlo, exact diagonalization, DMFT, etc…)

– analytic methods in many-body field theory

Applications may be submitted on AJO.org through this link:

https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/19482

and should include a CV (please include a link to a current Google scholar profile page), brief (2-4 page) statement of research experience and interests, and 3 letters of recommendation. Applications received prior to December 15, 2021 will receive full consideration, but the position will remain open until filled.

The initial appointment will be for two years with possibility of extension. Starting dates are flexible but should commence by Fall 2022.  Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. UBC offers a competitive benefits package including extended medical and dental coverage.

The Blusson QMI is a world-leading venture into research of systems and phenomena involving quantum materials. We believe in the power of collaboration to fuel the search for creative solutions and, in addition to building a strong interdisciplinary team of experimentalists and theorists from physics, chemistry and engineering, have established strong and active partnerships with TRIUMF, the Canadian Light Source, the Max Planck Society, and many other world leading institutions.

For more information about SBQMI: www.qmi.ubc.ca/

For more information about Vancouver: http://www.tourismvancouver.com/

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

The Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (Blusson QMI) at the University of British Columbia is seeking a PhD-level scientific researcher with expertise and a broad vision on atomic scale modeling and simulation of materials. This Sr. Scientist position will strengthen the Institute’s capacity in computational materials physics, form a close link with experiments and ultimately aid the design of novel functional materials and devices.

The successful candidate will bring experience in modern computational techniques for exploring the structure and dynamics of complex materials. They will contribute deep expertise in high-performance computing, proficiency in atomistic modeling with ab-initio and/or classical methods, and statistical techniques for non-equilibrium phenomena.  Moreover, they will support the development and deployment of new algorithms such as quantum/classical couplings or other hybrid simulation techniques. Topical focus areas include growth of quantum materials, morphology and defects at interfaces, 1D and 2D materials, nanoscale transport phenomena, supramolecular materials and self-assembly. The Sr. Scientist will support SBQMI’s team of multi-disciplinary Principal Investigators in their research and will also develop an independent research program, contribute to writing and publishing articles in top-tier journals, and mentor Blusson QMI students and postdocs who wish to develop advanced numerical skills.

Blusson QMI is a world-leading venture into research of systems and phenomena involving quantum materials. We believe in the power of collaboration to fuel the search for creative solutions and, in addition to building a strong interdisciplinary team of experimentalists and theorists from physics, chemistry and engineering, have established strong partnerships with TRIUMF, the Canadian Light Source, the Max Planck Society, and many other world leading institutions.

The successful candidate will thrive in our collegial culture and will bring the following qualifications to the role:

• PhD in Physics or a related discipline, specializing in computational materials physics
• Experience with some atomistic simulation techniques such as ab-initio/density functional theory, molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo methods, advanced sampling techniques.
• Several years of postdoctoral or equivalent experience
• Strong publication record in the field
• Ability to pursue an independent research program aligned with SBQMI interests
• Good communication and collaboration skills
• Experience with mentoring students is strongly desired

To Apply: https://hr.ubc.ca/careers-and-job-postings/faculty-careers

Posting number: JR7664

Application closing date: June 5, 2022 at 11:59pm

Your application should include your CV, a statement of research interests, and a covering letter.

Please also arrange for 3 confidential recommendation letters to be emailed directly to the Blusson QMI Human Resources Manager at csjob@qmi.ubc.ca .

Anticipated start date: August 15, 2022

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. UBC offers a competitive benefits package including extended medical, dental, life insurance, and pension.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.