Role: PDRA in Ultrafast Pulse Characterisation
Grade and Salary: Grade 7 - £37,694 - £47,389
Contract Type: Full Time, Fixed Term (9 months)
Rewards and Benefits: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full time staff (Part time workers should pro rata this by their FTE). Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

PURPOSE OF ROLE

The Laboratory of Ultrafast Physics and Optics (LUPO, https://lupo-lab.com ) seeks a talented and motivated scientist to carry out a research programme focused on characterising ultrafast laser pulses. The project is expected to lead to significant technological progress and high-impact scientific publications in the areas of ultrafast and nonlinear optics.
For more information, please send enquiry emails to Prof John Travers ( j.travers@hw.ac.uk ).
The application requires a CV and a cover letter explaining your motivation/interest in this project to be submitted through the university portal. Candidates are requested to specifically highlight in their applications how they fulfil the essential criteria for the post, listed below. 
We especially encourage applications from women and other underrepresented groups in Physics.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The post holder is required to:

• Design and perform rigorous and systematic experiments to explore new ultrafast nonlinear optics phenomena in gas-filled hollow-core optical fibres.
• Work with ultrafast optical setups, including: management of advanced laser systems, the design and construction of pulse compression systems, and building and operating optical characterization devices.
• Run existing simulation codes and process their results. Helping to develop new models and algorithms to simulate pulse propagation, the material response, and other aspects of our experiments. Coding in Julia and python.
• Take a prominent role in discussions and knowledge transfer with our industrial collaborators, including writing detailed progress reports.
• Writing, editing and publishing scientific articles in leading journals, and presenting results at international conferences.
• Assisting with the filing of intellectual property and technology transfer.
• Supervising the activities of junior group members and mentoring PhD students.
• Assisting in the day-to-day maintenance of the experimental facilities, liaising with companies and external collaborators.
• Carry out the research project to a high standard by: meeting planned milestones and deliverables; reporting progress regularly to supervisors, both verbally and in written reports; keeping clear written records of work done and storing data in accessible formats according to a system agreed with the project supervisor.

The post holder will join the Laboratory of Ultrafast Physics and Optics and will be expected to work collaboratively and cooperatively in a team environment; this involves shared use of laboratory equipment (therefore effective communication between group members is essential).
-