Associate Physicist

Brookhaven National Laboratory is a multipurpose research institution funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Located on the center of Long Island, New York, Brookhaven Lab brings world-class facilities and expertise to the most exciting and important questions in basic and applied science—from the birth of our universe to the sustainable energy technology of tomorrow. We operate cutting-edge large-scale facilities for studies in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, applied science, and a wide range of advanced technologies. The Laboratory's almost 3,000 scientists, engineers, and support staff are joined each year by more than 4,000 visiting researchers from around the world. Our award-winning history, including seven Nobel Prizes, stretches back to 1947, and we continue to unravel mysteries from the nanoscale to the cosmic scale, and everything in between. Brookhaven is operated and managed by Brookhaven Science Associates, which was founded by the Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University, and Battelle, a nonprofit applied science and technology organization.

Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Department of Nuclear Science and Technology conducts research and development related to nuclear technologies (reactors and accelerator-driven systems), reliability and risk assessment, and advanced modeling techniques for reactor simulation and energy systems.

The Department serves as a resource in these and related areas to support the missions of the Department of Energy (DOE), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and other national and international organizations. With a world-class staff of professionals with expertise in a broad range of areas related to the design and analyses of commercial, research and advanced nuclear systems, Brookhaven’s capabilities and facilities are also available to support and execute experiments in support of these missions.

The National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC), a part of of BNL’s Nuclear Science and Technology Department, is the largest member of the US Nuclear Data Program (USNDP), whose mission is to provide current, accurate, authoritative data for workers in pure and applied areas of nuclear science and engineering. This is accomplished primarily through the compilation, evaluation, dissemination, and archiving of extensive nuclear datasets. USNDP also addresses gaps in the data, through targeted experimental studies and the use of theoretical models.

The NNDC is responsible for the Nuclear Science Reference (NSR), eXperimental Unevaluated Nuclear Data List (XUNDL), Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File (ENSDF) and Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF) libraries, as well as the Nuclear Data Sheets journal.   The NNDC is also the main contributor to the EXFOR library.  Web dissemination of these libraries is also one of the main activities at the NNDC.

In addition to the libraries and web efforts, the NNDC staff are involved in research relating to nuclear structure, nuclear reactions, nuclear astrophysics and nuclear reactor antineutrinos.

Nuclear Data activities started at BNL in 1952 under the Brookhaven Neutron Cross Section Compilation Group, changed to the Sigma Center in 1961, which became the National Neutron Cross Section Center in 1967 and finally NNDC in 1977, providing a more than 65 years of nuclear data expertise to nuclear science and technology professionals.  The NNDC is part of BNL’s Nuclear Science and Technology Department.

The National Nuclear Data Center has an opening for an Assistant or Associate Scientist*  in nuclear structure and nuclear reaction evaluations.   Applicants will be expected to take a leading role in the evaluation and validation of nuclear data, as well as to develop a research program building on experimental and/or theoretical needs relating to the afore mentioned databases.   

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

•       Take a leading role in either (a) the assessment and validation of experimental structure data to provide recommended values for inclusion in the ENSDF data library or (b) the evaluation of nuclear reaction data for inclusion in the ENDF data library and the verification and validation of ENDF data evaluations

•Develop a research program building on experimental and/or theoretical needs relating to the ENSDF and   ENDF databases

*Appointment level will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
•    PhD in experimental or theoretical low-energy nuclear physics or nuclear engineering.
•    Minimum post-doctoral experience of at least two years.
•    Expertise in at least one of the following areas (a) gamma, beta and alpha spectroscopy; (b) theoretical nuclear models, such as the shell, optical, Hauser-Feshbach models; (c) codes such as MCNP, SCALE, NJOY.
•    Demonstrated record of publication in peer-reviewed journals.
•    Programming and computing skills in C++, JAVA, SQL or HTML languages.
•    Attention to detail.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
•    Working knowledge of C++, JAVA, SQL and HTML languages.
•    Familiarity with the ENSDF and ENDF databases.

At Brookhaven National Laboratory we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Our benefits program includes, but is not limited to:

•    Medical Plans
•    Dental Plans
•    Vacation
•    Holidays
•    Life Insurance
•    401(k) Plan
•    Retirement Plan
•    Paid Parental Leave
•    Swimming Pool, Weight Room, Tennis Courts, and many other employee perks and benefits