ATLAS Experimental Equipment Software & Data Acquisition Engineer/Physicist

The Physics Division of Argonne National Laboratory seeks to hire an engineer/physicist within the Low Energy Technical Support group. Together with scientists in the Low Energy Research group and an international user base, the Technical Support group is responsible for supporting the successful execution of experiments at the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS), which serves as a national user facility for atomic and nuclear physics research, as well as research carried out by the Low Energy Research group at other facilities. This individual will support and develop a broad range of software and hardware-software interfaces for data acquisition systems. This will include the maintenance and enhancement of existing systems and the development and implementation of new systems.

Key responsibilities are:

• The routine maintenance and support of the existing data acquisition systems, including related support of ATLAS facility users during the planning and carrying out of experiments, including troubleshooting and setup of hardware and software.

• Modification of software to accommodate new detector systems/auxiliary detectors.

• Development of new data acquisition software systems and associated software for sorting and merging complex datasets

• Develop software tools for the readout, display, and manipulation of data from many different hardware systems.

• Writing system user documentation targeted for the ATLAS user community, as well as, local experts.

• Participation in developing, integrating, and commissioning hardware, firmware, and software for the various detector subsystems at ATLAS

• Participation in R&D for new control and data acquisition concepts for future detectors and experimental systems.

Position Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

• Excellent communication skills to work with a diverse and broad international user-based research program, write technical papers, and present work where necessary.

• Fluency in various programming languages, including C, C++, Python, and database systems such as EPICS.

• Familiarity with basic data acquisition hardware (power supplies, preamplifiers, digitizers) and signal processing

• Outstanding commitment to safety.

• Ability to model Argonne’s core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity, and teamwork.

Preferred Requirements:

• Experience with database development integration of the output of the slow control and DAQ systems into the database infrastructure (time-series database, Grafana, web-based systems)

• Software development (Linux, bash, ssh, CMake, GitHub/GitLab)

• Experience with computing and software development for high-energy or nuclear physics experiments

• Experience in readout system development of scientific detector systems

• Familiarity with reading electronics schematics and wiring diagrams.

• Familiarity with hardware diagnostic tools and techniques.

• Working knowledge of VHDL.

• Knowledge of experimental nuclear physics systems.

At the RD2 level candidate will have Bachelors’ Degree and 5+ years’ work experience or Master’s and 3+ years’ experience or Doctorate and 0 years’ experience.

At the RD3 level candidate will have Bachelors’ Degree and 8+ years’ work experience or Master’s and 5+ years’ experience or Doctorate and 4+ years’ experience.

This job description outlines the general nature of work but is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all activities, duties, and responsibilities required of the incumbent. Consequently, successful applicants may be required to perform other duties as assigned. 

Job Family

Research Development (RD)

Job Profile

Electrical/Electronics Engineering 2

Worker Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time

As an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. In support of this commitment, Argonne encourages minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities to apply for employment. Argonne considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other characteristi