Opportunities

 

Multiple Scientist and Postdoctoral Scholar opportunities in Low- Temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Ultrafast Spectroscopy

UC Irvine Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program

CaSTL UCI-ASU Pathways Program

 

Multiple Scientist and Postdoctoral Scholar opportunities in Low- Temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Ultrafast Spectroscopy

Center for Chemistry at the Space-Time Limit (CaSTL) has multiple opportunities for research scientists at various levels: Specialist series, Project Scientist and Postdoctoral Scholar levels.

Project Scientists must have a PhD and several years of postdoctoral research experience. They are expected to lead a team of students and scientists under the supervision of one or more CaSTL Faculty. They are expected to make original contributions to the research.

Postdocs must have a PhD, and will conduct research under the general oversight of one or more faculty mentors. They are expected to mentor undergraduate and graduate students.

Specialists must have at least a B.S. degree and a Master or PhD degree is preferred. They must contribute to various aspects of ongoing projects.

The CaSTL Center is envisioned as a world leader in developing the enabling science and technology to record molecular motions and transformations in real space and time, with ultimate joint space-time resolution of Å-fs, necessary to capture chemistry one bond at a time. In addition to developing the methods, the Center will demonstrate implementations of major impact on chemistry.

CaSTL researchers integrated ultrafast spectroscopy with low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy to explore the ultrafast behavior of single molecules. This collaborative project is directed by a team of professors including Ara Apkarian (Chemistry, UC, Irvine), Wilson Ho (Physics, UC, Irvine), Richard Van Duyne (Chemistry, North Western), George Schatz (Theory, North Western), and Hrvoje Petek (Physics, Pittsburgh). More information on our activities is available at castl.uci.edu

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and/or ultrafast spectroscopy/microscopy with extensive hands-on experience. The candidate must also possess an ambition to learn more about areas in which they have less expertise. The candidate will carry out research centered in the laboratory of one PI, but also coordinate the activities of multiple graduate students working in each of the PI’s labs. The initial appointment is for one year and is renewable, dependent upon performance and available funding.

Interested candidates should upload a CV with two letters of recommendation to AP Recruit (https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply):
Specialist: JPF04304
Postdoctoral Scholar: JPF04302
Project Scientist: JPF04305

For questions, please contact
Venkat Bommisetty
Managing Director
CaSTL Phone: 949-824-2646
E-mail: Venkatb@uci.edu

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

UC Irvine Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) in the Division of Undergraduate Education at the University of California Irvine (UCI) encourages and facilitates research activities by UCI undergraduates from all schools and academic disciplines. There are several research opportunities available in the following CaSTL Center research labs at UCI http://www.urop.uci.edu/opportunities.html.

  • Professor Ara Apkarian - Ultrafast Nonlinear Spectroscopy of Single Molecules
  • Professor Nien-hui Ge - Ultrafast 2-D IR Spectroscopy and Sum Frequency Generation (SFG)
  • Professor Eric Potma - Non-Linear Optical (CARS) Microscopy
  • Professor Matthew Law - Nanomaterials and Solar Energy
  • Professor Wilson Ho - Spectroscopy with Submolecular Resolution Using Inelastic STM
  • Professor H. Kumar Wickramasinghe - Atomic Force Microscopy
  • Professor Ruqian Wu - Density Functional Studies of Physical Properties of Novel Materials

If selected as a UROP Fellow, students will be provided a faculty mentored research experience, assistance with research proposal writing, developing research plans through project management skills, and developing scientific presentation skills by participating in the UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium. Furthermore, students may be provided with a $3000 stipend to continue research in a CaSTL Center lab during the summer.

Requirements for Summer Stipend

  • Student must work in the CaSTL lab six months prior to seeking a summer position.
  • Student must work on a CaSTL related project during the summer.
  • Student must submit completed application for the summer UROP to be considered for the CaSTL summer stipend.
  • Student must provide proof of eligibility to work in the US.
  • Student must commit to work 40 hours per week and will be integrated into the CaSTL Summer DReF program.
 

Contact CaSTL Admin Office at: castl@uci.edu for more information.

CaSTL UCI-ASU Pathways Program (UC-HBCU Apkarian)

The CaSTL Center University of California, Irvine (UCI) - Albany State University (ASU) Pathways Program (CaSTL UCI-ASU Pathways) is an 8-week summer program for ASU undergraduate students interested in conducting supervised research with a UCI faculty mentor who is a member of CaSTL. The goals of the program are to encourage outstanding students that attend a Historically Black College and University (1) to pursue STEM careers related to physical chemistry and (2) to encourage students to apply to the physical chemistry graduate program at UCI.

CaSTL UCI-ASU Pathways will provide a hands-on scientific research opportunity in one of the UCI CaSTL faculty laboratories in which students will be trained in research methods, data analysis, and written/oral communication of their results. Students will also attend career development and preparation for graduate school workshops.

A stipend of $3500, housing and meals, reimbursement for out of town travel costs up to $600, and a travel award to attend a regional or national research conference to present successful CaSTL summer research projects will be offered. This program is funded by a grant awarded from the University of California, Office of the President UC-HBCU Initiative.

For more information email: castl@uci.edu.

Lab Assignments (vary). Additional info about each lab can be found on the Team page.

  • Professor Ara Apkarian - Ultrafast Nonlinear Spectroscopy of Single Molecules
  • Professor Nien-hui Ge - Ultrafast 2-D IR Spectroscopy and Sum Frequency Generation (SFG)
  • Professor Eric Potma - Non-Linear Optical (CARS) Microscopy
  • Professor Matthew Law - Nanomaterials and Solar Energy
  • Professor Wilson Ho - Spectroscopy with Submolecular Resolution Using Inelastic STM
  • Professor H. Kumar Wickramasinghe - Atomic Force Microscopy
  • Professor Ruqian Wu - Density Functional Studies of Physical Properties of Novel Materials, Theory and Computation