Nmr / Mri Spectroscopy Specialist

NPL is seeking an NMR specialist or an MRI specialist with experience in NMR to join its MRI team. The position would suit someone with experience in NMR characterisation of materials or biological samples materials (solid, liquid, solution, gaseous state experience is all relevant) and experience in time domain analysis. The vacancy is for a Higher Scientist position in the MRI team at NPL Teddington. We are looking for someone to help develop NPL’s new NMR spectrometer lab, including helping oversee the build as well as helping design and deliver future experimental work in the team. The job also involves close collaboration with NPL’s Data Science department developing new analysis methods and codes. The facility has a rampable main field and will be able to perform experiments across various field strengths up to a maximum of 300MHz, extending through all clinical MRI field strength and into the low
- and ultra-low field regimes.

This post requires expertise in working with small molecules in solution, and it is part of a project to build a system capable of making measurements of time-domain quantities relevant to MRI such as relaxivities and diffusion coefficients as well as measurements of fat and iron content of solutions via multiple methods, all with a firm grounding in metrological traceability and rigor. It’s a little different from standard analytical spectroscopy, but if you’re up for a unique challenge and want to do work that makes a big impact, then this is for you

Primary responsibilities include:

- Assisting with the design and build of a new, variable field NMR facility
- Acquiring and analysing MR data to support materials characterisation in multiple MR contrasts (quantitative T1, T2, diffusion, fat fraction, and iron content are current priorities, but this will change and expand with time)
- Designing and performing sets of experiments characterising materials across a range of main field strengths
- Working with collaborators and partners nationally and internationally, and with MR physicists in the NPL team and at our partner sites
- Investigating the uncertainties and biases associated with NMR acquisitions and analysis, and performing detailed numerical calculations
- Writing and publishing scientific research papers and giving presentations internally and externally
- Formulating and contributing to research proposals
- Contributing to the development and delivery of new measurement services
- Building and extending an internal and external network of collaborators and partners, working closely with scientists who are generating high-quality experimental data
- Assisting in PhD student supervision

You will input towards the design and installation of a new NMR facility at NPL Teddington, bringing NMR expertise to the MRI team, contributing to technical discussions and design decisions, and working with other team members and contractors to deliver the new facility. As the facility comes online, the role will transition into pulse sequence implementation, materials characterisation, ongoing research, and the delivery of measurement services. A solid working knowledge of the physics of echo formation and quantitative parameter estimation is advantageous, as is experience with pulse programming.

The position would suit a recent PhD graduate or junior postdoc with a experience in NMR spectroscopy, or someone with equivalent experience elsewhere. The role involves a broad range of NMR skills, and a strong background in NMR physics is essential, as are strong communication skills and an ability to work adaptively to changing requirements as the project matures.

Skills required:

- A PhD (either completed or about to submit) or equivalent experience with NMR. MRI specialists with NMR experience are also welcome.
- A solid grasp of the physics of NMR spectroscopy and NMR spectrometer hardware
- A solid mathematical and computational background, including a working knowledge of at least one scientifically-appropriate language such as Python, R, C/C++, etc
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- A proven ability to publish research results

The following may be advantageous but not essential:

- Experience in pulse programming
- Experience in NMR hardware and facility design
- Experience in quantitative MR parameter estimation (e.g. measurement of T1/T2/ADC) from NMR data, including time-domain data
- Experience across a variety of magnet frequencies / field strengths

**_We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process._**

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