Postdoctoral Scholar - Nanoscale Thermal Transport

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Scholar - Nanoscale Thermal Transport to join the Raja Group. This position offers an exciting opportunity to study how defects shape stability and performance in nanoscale materials for microelectronics. You will measure interfacial thermal conductance in 2D material systems using advanced optical methods such as time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) and Raman thermometry and non-linear spectroscopies like second harmonic generation (SHG).

This work is part of a collaborative, multi-institutional effort that combines experiment and AI-driven modeling to build multiscale understanding for next-generation devices.

What You Will Do :

• Conduct interfacial thermal conductance measurements using time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) and Raman thermometry to study 2D material and oxide interfaces; and conduct non-linear spectroscopies like second harmonic generation (SHG) to characterize the same.
• Prepare and characterize 2D heterostructures and interfaces for thermal studies.
• Analyze data and automate repeatable parts of fabrication, measurement, and post-processing (Python).
• Maintain and improve experimental setups; coordinate repairs, vendor communications, and procurements.
• Collaborate across institutions; present updates in group and team meetings and at reviews.
• Publish first-author and co-authored papers; prepare and contribute to user proposals (e.g. : Molecular Foundry) and other funding efforts.
• Document methods and results with careful versioned records and cloud backup.
• Help train and mentor graduate students, undergraduates, and interns.
• Follow all safety practices and help maintain a safe, inclusive lab environment.
• Build robust automation pipelines (Python) for TDTR / Raman acquisition.
• Drive cross-lab data harmonization meetings (AI + experiment), ensuring reproducibility and shared analysis notebooks.
• Co-mentor Foundry users / interns during beam-time-style measurement campaigns.

What is Required :

Notes :

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Berkeley Lab is a University of California employer. It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement : As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.