Post-Doctoral Researcher for epitaxial CdTe Photovoltaics

Posting Title

Post-Doctoral Researcher for epitaxial CdTe Photovoltaics

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Location

CO – Golden

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Position Type

Postdoc (Fixed Term)

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Hours Per Week

40

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COVID-19 Safety Protocols

Employment at NREL is contingent upon your compliance with all NREL and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) safety protocols and mitigation efforts directed at the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working at NREL
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation’s primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our eight employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.

NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.

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Note: Research suggests that potential job seekers may self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who is interested in this opportunity to apply. We seek dedicated people who believe they have the skills and ambition to succeed at NREL to apply for this role.

Job Description

The focus of this position is the synthesis and detailed characterization of epitaxial CdTe devices and test structures with the ultimate goal of improving voltage in photovoltaic devices.  Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) will be used to benchmark material and performance characteristics and compared directly with epitaxial films deposited by other techniques such as close space sublimation (CSS).  The successful candidate will explore materials/processing strategies to generate undoped and doped epitaxial structures building toward fully epitaxial CdTe based devices. In addition to experimental work fabricating and characterizing samples, a key part of this position will be performing hypothesis-driven research and reporting the work in peer-reviewed publications.  The successful candidate will have significant experiences with molecular beam epitaxy, device processing, and associated material and device characterization such as high-resolution x-ray diffraction and Hall measurement.  Additional experience with characterization methods such as device testing under solar simulation, quantum efficiency, capacitance-voltage, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, confocal and time-resolved photoluminescence is highly desired.  

While the focus of this position will be epitaxial CdTe material and devices there will be opportunities to work on polycrystalline material and devices systems.  The successful candidate will work as part of a larger team including staff scientists, students, and external collaborators (industry and academia).  

Qualified candidates must demonstrate skills in interpreting and assessing the experimental results and have a demonstrated record of success from graduate and/or post-graduate work with publishing results.  Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills are essential.  Teamwork and collaboration are essential and successful candidates will need the ability to partner and team internally and externally.  Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values, and the candidate will be expected to support a work environment that maximizes the unique talents and innovative ideas of every worker.

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Basic Qualifications
Must be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.

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Additional Required Qualifications

PhD in Physics, Materials Science, Chemical or Electrical Engineering, or related field.

• Experience with molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)
• Epitaxial film characterization – high resolution x-ray diffraction and Hall measurement

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with thin-film fabrication techniques (evaporation, sputtering, lithography)
• Experience in basic thin-film solar-cell characterization techniques 
  (current-voltage (JV), quantum efficiency (QE), capacitance-voltage (CV))
• Experience in at least one advanced characterization technique relevant to the project (secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), confocal photoluminescence)
• Experience in quantitative PV cell-performance modeling 
  (Sentaurus, SCAPS, COMSOL, etc.)
• Experience setting up/building and maintaining custom research equipment
• Experience programming in at least one language
• Knowledge of semiconductor device physics
• Demonstration of research capability to solve challenging problems with limited guidance. 
• Good communication and writing skills. 
• Creative, independent, innovative, and adaptable.

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Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)
Job Profile: Postdoctoral Researcher / Annual Salary Range: $69,400 – $114,500

NREL takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, as well as the position’s work location, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits Summary
Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short-term disability insurance*; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; and paid holidays. NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement.

* Based on eligibility rules

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

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EEO Policy

NREL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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