Research Associate in Quantum Sensor Nanofabrication

Are you a skilled micro/nanofabrication specialist looking to apply your cleanroom expertise to build quantum sensors for a groundbreaking ecological application? We have an exciting opportunity in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering for you to join a new ARIA-funded project, playing a central role in developing chip-scale quantum technology for environmental and ecosystem intervention.

We are seeking an ambitious Research Associate who will take ownership of fabrication-focused work from the outset, fabricating, packaging, and characterising photonic-integrated quantum sensor chips as part of a pioneering "magnetobiotics" platform. This interdisciplinary project combines chip-integrated quantum magnetometers with magnetically-labelled microbes to enable a new paradigm for ecosystem interventions: the ability to deploy, track, and recover biocontrol agents with magnetic precision.

You will design and fabricate the photonic sensor arrays at the heart of the platform, working hands-on with e-beam lithography, thin-film deposition, photolithography, and etching in world-class cleanroom facilities. You will package the sensor into a robust testbed for use with ecological samples and characterise its performance against magnetic backgrounds in water, soil, and sand. Collaborating with researchers at Queen Mary University of London, you will integrate the sensor with microbial tracking and recovery experiments targeting the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus, a pathogen that has driven over 500 species into decline.

We are looking for a candidate with a PhD (or close to completion, or equivalent experience) and strong hands-on cleanroom fabrication experience. You should have a track record designing and fabricating micro/nanophotonic or microelectronic devices. Experience with quantum sensing or NV-centre magnetometry is advantageous, but we strongly encourage versatile fabrication specialists who are excited to work at the intersection of semiconductor technology and ecology to apply.

The role offers the chance to shape a new research capability from an early stage and to work in close connection with advanced semiconductor infrastructure and a highly collaborative research environment.

If you are motivated to translate fabrication expertise into real-world impact, we would love to hear from you.