{"id":2039830,"url":"https://alion.io/job/northeastern-university-postdoctoral-research-associate-5","title":"Postdoctoral Research Associate","company":{"id":6930,"name":"Northeastern University","domain":"northeastern.edu","url":"https://alion.io/company/northeastern","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":88,"open_postings":252,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.488,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":50,"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"}},"role":"Science & Research","role_family":"Science & Research","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Burlington, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":60315,"max":85192,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":85192},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-07T17:29:53Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-07","last_verified_at":"2026-10-18T08:05:45Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":11,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":11},"description":"About the Opportunity\nJob Summary\nThe DeLTA Lab, led by Professor Alberto de la Torre, studies how light can be used to control and engineer new phases of matter in quantum materials and has an opening for a Postdoctoral Research Associate. The position is funded by Professor de la Torre’s National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award, “Engineering order in frustrated quantum materials via strong light-matter coupling.”\nThe postdoctoral researcher will design and fabricate photonic cavities for strong light-matter coupling at infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) frequencies and develop on-chip ultrafast transport platforms. Both platforms will be integrated with exfoliated flakes and thin films of frustrated quantum materials and characterized with the lab’s time-resolved optical, THz, and second-harmonic-generation spectroscopies, including a 7 T, 1.5 K optical cryostat fitted with radio frequency (RF) leads.\nThe postdoctoral researcher will work closely with collaborators in the College of Engineering, fabricate devices in the Kostas cleanroom, and help mentor graduate and undergraduate researchers, including co-op researchers. The appointment is for one year and is renewable for a second year contingent on satisfactory performance and continued funding.\nMinimum Qualifications\nRequired\nPhD or foreign equivalent in Physics, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or a closely related field, completed by the start date\nKnowledge of electromagnetic and photonic device design, micro- and nanofabrication, and optical or electrical characterization of materials, as normally acquired through a PhD in the field\nAbility to design, fabricate, and test optical cavities and/or high-frequency electronic devices\nAbility to perform electromagnetic simulations, such as finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) or finite-element methods\nAbility to independently plan experiments, analyze data, and communicate results in peer-reviewed publications\nPreferred\nHands-on experience with cleanroom nanofabrication, such as lithography, thin-film deposition, and etching\nExperience designing photonic, THz, or microwave cavities\nExperience with ultrafast optics, THz or on-chip picosecond electronics, superconducting devices, or cryogenic measurements\nKey Responsibilities & Accountabilities\n Photonic Cavity Design and Fabrication (30%): Design, simulate, and fabricate photonic cavities, including IR/mid-IR distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) microcavities and quartz/vacuum THz cavities, resonant with collective excitations of target quantum materials using FDTD and inverse-design methods. Integrate exfoliated flakes and thin films into the cavities and characterize the cavity response and light-matter coupling with optical and THz spectroscopy\n On-Chip Ultrafast Transport Platforms (30%): Design and fabricate on-chip ultrafast transport platforms based on photoconductive Auston switches and coplanar waveguides. Perform device processing at the Kostas cleanroom, including lithography, deposition, etching, and wire bonding\n Device Testing and Measurement (20%): Test and benchmark the devices using time-resolved optical and electrical measurements, including pump-probe photoconductive sampling, THz time-domain spectroscopy, and second-harmonic generation, at room temperature and in the 7 T, 1.5 K optical cryostat. Use these platforms to measure light-induced changes in the transport and optical properties of frustrated quantum materials\n Research Communication (10%): Analyze data, prepare manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, present results at group meetings and international conferences, including the American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting and the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), and contribute to project reports and proposals\n Mentoring and Laboratory Practices (10%): Mentor and train graduate, undergraduate, and co-op researchers in device design, cleanroom fabrication, and ultrafast measurement techniques, and help maintain safe laboratory and cleanroom practices. The position carries no formal teaching duties\nRequired Documents\nResume\nPosition Type\nResearchAdditional Information\nNortheastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.\nNortheastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includesmedical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.\nAll qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.\nCompensation Grade/Pay Type:\n108SExpected Hiring Range:\n$60,315.00 - $85,192.50With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5239,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"phd","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Education","Higher Education"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-07T17:29:53Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 78 · green card filings: 13","filings_12m":78,"filings_prev_12m":82,"green_card_filings_12m":13,"median_offered_wage_usd":115357,"route":null,"cap_exempt":true,"checked_at":"2026-10-15T11:24:14+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":96,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.96,"p_room":1,"age_days":9,"expected_fill_days":50,"reasons":["conf:1","wave","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":85192,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/northeastern-university-postdoctoral-research-associate-5","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/northeastern-university-postdoctoral-research-associate-5.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-18T20:53:23Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":24616,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-19T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":6930},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=6930"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fnortheastern-university-postdoctoral-research-associate-5"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fnortheastern-university-postdoctoral-research-associate-5"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fnortheastern-university-postdoctoral-research-associate-5"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/northeastern-university-postdoctoral-research-associate-5\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fnortheastern-university-postdoctoral-research-associate-5"}]}