Senior Research Fellow - XRF Lab

About UMass Amherst

The flagship of the Commonwealth, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a nationally ranked public land-grant research university that seeks to expand educational access, fuel innovation and creativity, and share and use its knowledge for the common good. Founded in 1863, UMass Amherst sits on nearly 1,450-acres in scenic Western Massachusetts and boasts state-of-the-art facilities for teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activity. The institution advances a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where everyone feels connected and valued-and thrives, and offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees across 10 schools and colleges, and 100 undergraduate majors. We believe every member of our university community can contribute to our ongoing success by striving for the highest level of excellence as we seek breakthrough solutions to mounting environmental, social, economic, and technological challenges in our world.

Job Summary

We are seeking a full-time Senior Research Fellow to manage analytical geochemistry research facilities and instrumentation and conduct research with faculty within the Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The Senior Research Fellow will manage the Cosmogenic Nuclide and X-ray Analytical Laboratores in support of research in geochemistry, geomorphology, volcanology, sedimentology, mineralogy,and petrology. Duties include sample preparation, mineral separation, wet chemistry, and operation and maintenance of a PANalytical Zetium Ultimate X-ray spectrograph and an ITRAX XRF core scanner.

The Senior Research Fellow will be primarily responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the facilities, including preparing samples, conducting high quality analyses, scheduling and training of internal and external users, maintaining and servicing facilities and
instruments, and ordering supplies. The Senior Research Fellow will work both independently and in collaboration with undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and professors in the two labs. Candidates with geoanalytical experience, including backgrounds in either
cosmogenic nuclide geochemistry or XRF elemental analysis, are encouraged to apply, and training will be provided for skills needed to manage both laboratories.

Essential Functions

• Conduct research in collaboration with faculty, post-docs, graduate students, and undergraduate students.
• Preparation of rock, soil, and sediment samples for cosmogenic nuclide and elemental analysis, including crushing, splitting, sieving, and powdering.
• Work with chemicals, including hydrofluoric acid, and high temperature furnaces in environments with noise and high temperature; heavy lifting and prolonged periods of standing.
• Operation, maintenance, and repair of a PANalytical Zetium (Ultimate edition) XRF.
• Elemental Analyzer and a Cox Instruments ITRAX XRF core-scanner for analysis of major and trace element concentrations in earth materials, including rock, soil, and sediment cores.
• Physical and chemical processing of geological samples in a clean room to produce purified extracts of beryllium and aluminum for cosmogenic nuclide measurements.
• Fusion of powdered samples using platinum crucibles, fluxes and torches or high temperature furnaces.
• Operation of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES), including preparation of calibration solutions from standards.
• Operation and maintenance of a high purity Germanium gamma counter.
• Strong organizational skills, including ability to follow detailed procedures, record keeping, data reduction, quality control, uncertainty analysis, sample archiving, and ability to meet deadlines.
• Assisting with development of analytical methods.
• Preparing and analyzing samples submitted by external users.
• Training and supervising facility users in laboratory methods, instrumentation operation, and safety protocols.
• Laboratory scheduling.
• Instrument maintenance and repair, use and troubleshooting of instrumentation software.
• Ordering supplies, billing internal and external laboratory users for analyses, managing cost center budgets.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to interact effectively and create and maintain relationships with a wide range of staff, faculty, students, and off- campus constituents.
• Ability to interact and communicate with Facilities and Campus Services staff regarding required maintenance and upgrades.
• Conducting related duties as needed.

Other Functions

• Work collaboratively and effectively to promote teamwork, diversity, equality and inclusiveness.
• Work in partnership with colleagues within the CNS community and across the campus to support the Dean's strategic priorities.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission and goals of the College of Natural Sciences.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Earth Sciences or a related field.
• Five (5) years of post-PhD research experience in analytical chemistry and compositional analysis of earth materials.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to participate in occasional fieldwork.
• Expertise in using computational tools to interpret geochemical results.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

• XRF lab.

Working Schedule

• Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5 pm.

Salary Information

• Commensurate with experience.

Special Instructions to applicants

Along with the application, please submit a resume and cover letter. References will be checked at the finalist stage. Please be prepared to provide three (3) professional letters of reference. Applications will be reviewed on a continuous basis until the position is filled. Early submissions are encouraged.

At UMass Amherst and in CNS, we strive to be a community where every individual feels a sense of belonging, where every individual is included, and where every individual is valued. You can find these values and goals here: https://www.umass.edu/strategicplan/strategic-plan).

The University of Massachusetts Amherst welcomes all qualified applicants and complies with all state and federal anti-discrimination laws.