[Cugapost] Postdoctoral Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

[Lorelei Chopard]

Postdoctoral Associate

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is inviting applications for 
up to two postdoctoral research positions with the Laboratory of Nuclear 
Security and Policy (LNSP) in the department of Nuclear Science and 
Engineering. LNSP is a multi- disciplinary group studying technology in 
support of international security. Problems under investigation include 
the detection of nuclear materials and devices in commercial cargo 
traffic, nuclear detection in public spaces, nuclear non-proliferation, 
nuclear disarmament, and new techniques for international treaty 
verification. For additional information, visit lnsp.mit.edu 
<http://lnsp.mit.edu>.

Research: Postdoctoral researchers will support the Zero-Knowledge 
Warhead Verification program and the Monochromatic Cargo Interrogation 
program.

The Monochromatic program uses various low energy (∼MeV) nuclear 
reactions to produce monochromatic and poly- chromatic gamma sources for 
interrogating and radiographing cargo containers for the presence of 
nuclear materials without the high doses common in traditional 
bremsstrahlung-based interrogation methods. For example, (d,n𝛾) and 
(p,p’𝛾) reactions on various nuclei will produce highly narrow gamma 
lines. This approach could revolutionize cargo inspection, which is 
currently limited by dose considerations, and by providing a mechanism 
for a better determination of the atomic number of the cargoes.

The Zero Knowledge program uses nuclear resonance fluorescence to take 
measurements of nuclear warheads that would validate their authenticity 
without revealing information about their design. The absence of a 
verification technique has held back the elimination of tens of 
thousands of Cold War nuclear warheads. The technique implements a 
physical manifestation of “zero knowledge proofs,” a mathematical method 
of proving an assertion to be true without revealing any of the 
underlying information. This method resolves a long-standing problem 
associated with electronic information barriers, which are vulnerable to 
various hacks and exploits.

Responsibilities: The postdoctoral researcher will work with faculty and 
graduate students in building experiments, doing simulations and data 
analysis, and developing detectors. The postdoc will be encouraged to 
propose innovative ideas of their own and to participate in proposal 
writing for projects affiliated with nuclear security.

Qualifications: The ideal candidate should have the following background 
and qualifications:

  * PhD in experimental nuclear physics, particle physics, or nuclear
    engineering
  * An interest in nuclear security and social issues
  * Strong computational skills in a Linux/Unix based environment:
      o Fluency with C/C++ . Knowledge of higher level languages such as
        Python, Perl, etc. is a plus.
      o Extensive experience performing data analysis with the ROOT toolkit
      o Fluency with the Geant4 toolkit and a strong understanding of
        Monte Carlo methods. Knowledge of MCNP is a plus.

  * Familiarity with standard methods of nuclear radiation detection
    (~MeV neutrons and gammas), including scintillation detectors, HPGe
    detectors and readout electronics
  * Experience with digital data acquisition systems, preferably VME.
    Knowledge of CAEN systems is a plus.

Duration: 2 years, extendable to 3.
For questions or additional information contact aregjan at mit.edu 
<mailto:aregjan at mit.edu>.

Applications should be submitted through the MIT Jobs Page: 
http://jobs.mit.edu/ position number 11775.





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