Experimental Scientist, Fixed Point Cell Thermometry, APS Level 6, NMI - [Archived Advertisement]

 Experimental Scientist, Fixed Point Cell Thermometry, APS Level 6, NMI

The position

National Measurements Institute’s (NMI) Temperature Standards Group provides Australia’s highest level calibration services that support calibration and testing laboratories and key users across Australia.

The team maintains Australia’s primary standards for Temperature from -202 oC to 2900 oC, at world-leading uncertainties as low as 0.0001oC. From unique facilities and with expertise, the team supports key users nationally and internationally: in areas such as advanced manufacturing, biomedical, climate monitoring, defence and aerospace.

The ideal candidate

You are an enthusiastic engineer or experimental scientist with strong practical, time management and collaborative skills. You are a fast learner who actively seeks to acquire new skills and is not afraid to take responsibility for troubleshooting or problem solving. You enjoy identifying innovative solutions and system improvements while aspiring to become the recognised national expert in primary standards thermometry.

As the successful candidate, you will be able to demonstrate:

• an ability to work independently and to take responsibility for delivering outcomes
• collaborative teamwork and productive engagement with industry and the research community
• a flair for using the full range of your maths, physics and engineering skills to effectively identify and solve complex equipment problems and to critically analyse and mathematically model complex systems
• familiarity with the operating principles and limitations of a range of relevant measurement instrumentation
• practical electronic, mechanical, thermal and vacuum skills with experience in instrumentation and control software, such as LabView.

What you will do?

You will work closely with Australia’s national experts in the field to acquire the skills to:

• take responsibility to maintain and develop Australia’s primary thermometry fixed point cell ensembles (from cryogenic gas cells to ultra-high temperature metal-carbide eutectic cells)
• take responsibility to independently deliver timely, high-quality calibrations of standard platinum resistance thermometers and fixed-point cells under an ISO-17025 quality system at the highest levels of accuracy achievable internationally
• provide leadership on emerging trends in Temperature metrology through development of relationships with other NMI teams and the research community through outreach, research collaborations and consultancies
• use your broad physics and engineering skills to contribute both to the design and development of new standards facilities as well as maintenance and efficiency improvements to existing systems.
• actively contribute to the ongoing research of the team to develop and validate new experimental techniques. An example of this would be to use your thermodynamics and heat transfer knowledge to develop quantitative mathematical models of the dynamic 3D interactions of fixed point cells and control dynamics of high-temperature furnaces.

In the longer term, you will be expected to develop comprehensive knowledge of Temperature measurement and of the operation, design and limitations of the latest commercial and research equipment.

This position is on a trajectory to become the NATA and NMI signatory for this area, including representing NMI and Australia on national and international technical and standards committees.
You will be expected to identify opportunities to collaborate internally with other expert NMI teams, as well as externally, to integrate the latest technical innovations in quantum, optical and electrical standards into the next generation of NMI’s primary standards of measurement.

Eligibility

The successful candidate will have a PhD (or equivalent experience) in Experimental Physics, with a strong mathematics, mechanics, thermodynamics and automation component, with several years of relevant experience.

To be eligible for employment in the APS and the department, applicants must be Australian Citizens.

Security Clearance

This position requires a Baseline security clearance. The successful applicant will be required to obtain and maintain a clearance at this level.

Notes

This recruitment process is being used to fill an ongoing APS Level 6 position. A merit pool may be established to fill similar ongoing and non-ongoing vacancies at the APS Level 6 should they become available within 12 months from the date advertised.

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