Research Assistant Professor

Richland College/Division: College of Arts and Sciences Department: CAS Physics and Astronomy Part/Full Time: Full Time Hours per Week: 37.5 Type of Faculty Position: Faculty Research Grant (FRGP) Basis: 12 months Job Search Category: Other About University of South Carolina From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond. South Carolina Retirement: No State Insurance Programs: Yes Annual Leave: No Sick Leave: No Advertised Job Summary Under limited supervision of the Principal Investigator (PI), this individual will conduct research on the synthesis of single crystal and polycrystalline materials, thin-film deposition, and micro/nano fabrication; characterizing these materials using laboratory-based techniques to measure their electrical, magnetic, optical, and thermal properties; and collaborating with experimental and theoretical researchers to develop structure-property relationships and novel functional materials. Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience Applicants must hold a PhD in condensed matter physics or closely related field and have postdoctoral experience in material synthesis, thin film fabrication, characterization, and theoretical modeling. Knowledge/Skills/Abilities Expertise in material synthesis, thin film fabrication, characterization, and theoretical modeling. Required to conduct business lawfully and ethically by consistently adhering to compliance policies, procedures, and regulations. Job Duty Job Duty: Synthesis of single crystal and polycrystalline materials, thin-film deposition and micro/nano fabrication: To successfully accomplish the proposed research objectives, it is essential to hire a qualified candidate with expertise in the synthesis of single-crystal and polycrystalline materials, thin-film deposition, and micro/nanofabrication. These activities require specialized technical knowledge, extensive hands-on experience, and the ability to operate sophisticated research equipment that is critical to the project. The research involves the controlled growth of high-quality single-crystal and polycrystalline materials with precise control over composition, crystallinity, and defect density. In addition, the project requires the deposition of thin films using advanced techniques while maintaining stringent control over film thickness, uniformity, and interface quality. The fabrication of micro- and nanoscale devices further demands expertise in cleanroom processes, including photolithography, electron-beam lithography, etching, deposition, and device integration. These tasks are highly specialized and require trained personnel to ensure reproducibility, reliability, and high-quality experimental outcomes. The individual hired will be responsible for designing and optimizing material synthesis protocols, performing thin-film growth and characterization, carrying out micro/nanofabrication processes, maintaining laboratory and cleanroom equipment, troubleshooting fabrication challenges, documenting experimental procedures, and training junior researchers and students as needed. The researcher will also collaborate with other team members to integrate synthesized materials into functional devices and accelerate the overall research progress. Hiring a dedicated expert will significantly improve research efficiency, reduce experimental errors, minimize equipment downtime, and ensure compliance with laboratory safety and cleanroom operating procedures. Their specialized expertise will enable the project to meet its technical milestones on schedule while producing high-quality, reproducible results suitable for publication and future technology development. Essential Function: Yes Percentage of Time: 45 Job Duty: Characterizing materials using laboratory-based techniques (including national user facilities) to measure their electrical, magnetic, optical, and thermal properties; collaborating with experimental and theoretical researchers to develop structure–property relationships and novel functional materials: The success of the proposed research depends on comprehensive characterization of synthesized materials to establish the relationships between their structure, composition, and functional properties. To achieve these objectives, it is necessary to hire a qualified candidate with expertise in advanced materials characterization, data analysis, and collaborative research involving both experimental and theoretical approaches. The project requires systematic characterization of materials using a wide range of laboratory-based techniques, as well as specialized instrumentation available at national user facilities. These measurements include electrical, magnetic, optical, and thermal property characterization, together with complementary structural, chemical, and microstructural analyses. The hired researcher will be responsible for planning and conducting characterization experiments, preparing samples for analysis, operating and coordinating access to advanced characterization facilities, analyzing and interpreting complex datasets, and integrating experimental results with theoretical modeling. The individual will also collaborate closely with experimentalists and computational researchers to develop quantitative structure–property relationships, identify the mechanisms governing material performance, and guide the design and optimization of novel functional materials. In addition, the researcher will coordinate user-facility proposals, manage experimental campaigns at national laboratories, maintain detailed documentation of characterization results, and assist in preparing publications, presentations, and technical reports. Hiring a dedicated expert will ensure that characterization activities are performed efficiently and at the highest technical standard, maximizing the scientific value of both laboratory and user-facility measurements. Their expertise will accelerate the discovery and optimization of functional materials, strengthen collaborations across experimental and theoretical teams, improve the reproducibility and rigor of the research, and help the project achieve its scientific milestones within the proposed timeline. Essential Function: Yes Percentage of Time: 45 Job Duty: Mentoring other group members, including postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers: A dedicated research scientist is essential not only to advance the technical objectives of the proposed project but also to provide consistent mentorship and training for postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers. As the research program expands in scope and complexity, effective supervision and knowledge transfer are critical to maintaining high-quality research, ensuring reproducible results, and fostering the professional development of junior researchers. The hired researcher is expected to provide guidance on experimental design, laboratory techniques, instrumentation, data analysis, and scientific problem-solving. They will train new group members in laboratory safety, standard operating procedures, equipment operation, and best practices for data management and documentation. In addition, they will assist trainees in troubleshooting experiments, interpreting results, preparing manuscripts and conference presentations, and developing independent research skills. The research scientist will also coordinate collaborative activities within the research group, facilitate communication among experimental and computational team members, and help ensure that projects progress efficiently toward established milestones. Their regular interaction with trainees will promote a collaborative research environment, improve productivity, and enable more effective use of laboratory and shared research facilities. Hiring an experienced researcher with strong mentoring capabilities will strengthen the group’s research infrastructure by providing sustained technical leadership and continuity across multiple projects. This role will enhance the quality of training for students and postdoctoral researchers, accelerate their development as independent scientists, and increase the overall productivity and impact of the research program while allowing the principal investigator to focus on strategic research direction, external collaborations, and project management. Essential Function: Yes Percentage of Time: 10 Hazardous weather category: Non-Essential Employees in Safety-Sensitive or Security-Sensitive positions will be subject to pre-employment and post-employment drug testing in accordance with University policy HR 1.95 Drug and Alcohol Testing.: No Job Open Date: 09/28/2026 Job Close Date: 11/12/2026 Open Until Filled: No Special Instructions to Applicant Please note that references will be contacted upon applying for the position. Positions are advertised for a minimum of forty-five (45) days on our job website. After forty-five (45) days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This position is open until filled. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email. We are only accepting applications submitted by November 12, 2026 Quicklink for Posting: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/213746 EEO Statement The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law. Working at University of South Carolina With more than 200 years of history and tradition, the University of South Carolina is redefining itself for decades to come. There’s never been a better time to be at South Carolina, the state’s flagship university and one of only 62 public universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation’s highest designation for research. The University is located in the heart of South Carolina in the capital city of Columbia , which is the nexus of government, a thriving arts and culture center, a venue for big-time Southeastern Conference intercollegiate athletics , and a community that is reinventing itself with redevelopment projects citywide. Much of the development is tied to land along the scenic, slow-moving Congaree River. Working with government, business, and community leaders, Carolina has developed a unified plan that will allow the University to expand from its origins on the historic Horseshoe to its future- Innovista , a research and innovation district that will stretch to the banks of the Congaree. Innovista represents a new vision for research by creating a vibrant, urban community where students and researchers, including those from private firms, will live, work, learn, and play. Innovista will represent the University's four core research areas -hydrogen fuel cells, nanoscience and technology, biomedical and public health, and the environment-but will include other initiatives and business partners that serve the knowledge economy. Innovista's first private tenant , for example, is a leader in software applications for the insurance industry and will create several hundred high-paying jobs. By attracting similar companies and jobs-and by capitalizing on an attractive location for restaurants and residential and retail space-Innovista will help drive the economy and increase per-capita income in the city and state. Recreational space will include a world-class waterfront park along the Congaree River and a new stadium for the Gamecocks' nationally ranked baseball program. Greenway paths for biking, walking, and running already line much of the river area. Innovista's 8 million square feet will blend seamlessly with the Vista , the city's nearby entertainment district of restaurants, bars, shops, and art galleries. Chartered in 1801 , Carolina began classes in 1805 with nine students and a single building, Rutledge College. As the campus grew and buildings were added during the next 50 years, a horseshoe layout was adopted. Today, the Horseshoe is on the National Register of Historic Places, with 10 of its 11 buildings dating to the 19th century. Those renovated buildings house, among other areas, the South Carolina Honors College and Undergraduate Admissions , representing much of the University's current and future lifeblood. In fact, incoming freshman classes have never been larger or more competitive. The freshmen from fall 2006 set records for their size (more than 3,700) and SAT scores (1171 average). Freshmen enrolling in the Honors College had average SAT scores of 1398. Members of the University's prestigious scholarship programs , Carolina Scholars for in-state students and McNair Scholars for out-of-state students, had average scores of 1449 and 1477, respectively. Total enrollment at Carolina for undergraduates and graduates is more than 27,300, with some 350 degree programs to choose from. Since 1994, Carolina students have earned more than $9.9 million in prestigious national scholarships such as the Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, and NSF scholarships and the Fulbright Fellowships. South Carolina's student body is diverse. In fact, Carolina was recently recognized as the state flagship university with the highest percentage of African-American student enrollment in the nation. Research by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows African-American students made up 14.7 percent of enrollment in 2004, the latest year available. The JBHE also ranks Carolina eighth in the nation in percentage of African-American faculty at a state flagship university with 4.3 percent. The University's faculty garnered a record $173.3 million in federal, state, and private funding for research, outreach, and training programs in 2005-06, and several key hiring plans will introduce more talent and expertise to the faculty ranks. An aggressive campus building master plan and the faculty recruiting initiatives will change the collective face of the University and the faces of many of its key teachers and researchers. South Carolina is recruiting world-class faculty to be endowed chairs-and change agents-for a series of research centers of economic excellence in areas such as nanoelectronics, polymer nanocomposites, brain imaging, regenerative medicine, cancer therapeutics, drug discovery, vision research, hydrogen fuel cells, and travel and tourism technology. These centers, some in collaboration with other state research universities and health and hospital systems, are funded with $30 million annually in state lottery money, as well as private matching money. Carolina is in the midst of a faculty recruitment plan to hire 600 new members. The Faculty Excellence Initiative is recruiting 150 faculty, many in interdisciplinary clusters of emphasis, while the Centenary Plan will recruit 100 elite research faculty to lead the University's core initiatives. Additionally, 350 faculty will be hired across disciplines to replace retirees over the next few years. The University has forged a number of international collaborations in research, and the University's global connections are also strong in academics, particularly in international business. U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the Moore School of Business best in the nation for its undergraduate and graduate programs in international business; the undergraduate program is No. 1 for the 10th consecutive time, while the graduate program is No. 1 among public universities for the 18th consecutive year and No. 2 overall, continuing a streak of 18 years with a top-two overall ranking.