The experimental nuclear physics group working in medium energy and fundamental symmetries at the University of Tennessee is seeking candidates for a postdoctoral position to begin in January 2026. The successful candidate will have a role in the group’s neutron beta decay efforts at Oak Ridge National Lab as well as ongoing analysis work of Jefferson Lab (JLab) experiments and work towards future ones. The candidate must have a PhD (or satisfied all substantive requirements for a PhD) in nuclear or particle physics. The successful candidate contributes to the running of the Nab beta decay experiment at ORNL and data analysis. Additionally, the successful candidate will help bring online a Dynamic Nuclear Polarization system and assist with data analysis of JLab experiments. Finally, the successful candidate will be expected to assist with supervision of graduate and undergraduate students as well as work in a multi-institutional collaboration.

The appointment will be initially for one year, with possible renewal for two additional years upon mutual agreement and availability of funds.

Required Qualifications

• Education: PhD in physics by Dec 2025
• Experience: Working in large experimental collaborations, data analysis of large data sets.
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Experience with vacuum and cryogenic apparatus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience: Working at a large user facility
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: python, root/C++, Labview, Class IV laser operation, laser optics alignment.

Work Location

• Oak Ridge, TN and Knoxville, TN

Compensation and Benefits

• Anticipated hiring range: $62K - $65K (depending on postdoctoral experience)
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions:

Applicants should submit the following documents for full consideration:

• CV
• 3 letters of recommendation
• List of conference presentations and publications

About The Department:

The Department has an exemplary research record, with eight professors earning NSF CAREER awards since 2012, eight professors among the world’s top two percent of physicists based on citation count, the award of the prestigious American Physical Society 2021 Bonner Prize, eleven APS Fellows, and four AAAS Fellows. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is Tennessee’s flagship state research institution, a campus of choice for outstanding undergraduates and a premier graduate institution with a number of nationally and internationally ranked programs and with national and international leadership in numerous fields.

The successful candidate will take a leading role in Nab beta decay experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source. The UT group has special responsibilities for a number of subsystems and measurement campaigns, and the successful candidate will be expected to coordinate some fraction of those efforts. This will include interfacing with collaborators at other institutions and staff scientists at ORNL. The work will consist of design and construction of apparatus, taking data with neutrons, analysis said data and presenting it to the collaboration and the community at large at scientific conferences. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to mentor and supervise graduate and undergraduate students.

Additionally, the successful candidate will work with graduate students and ORNL and JLab collaborators to commission and upgrade a Dynamic Nuclear Physics apparatus at UT. Finally, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to analyze data from JLab experiments and present it to the nuclear physics community.