Postdoctoral Scholar, Physics

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) appreciates your interest in employment at our growing institution. We want your application process to go smoothly and quickly. Final applications must be submitted prior to the close of the recruitment.

If you need assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please contact our recruitment helpline at (775) 784-1495 or [email protected].

The Department of Physics at the University of Nevada, Reno is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral Scholar (one year, renewable for a second year subject to satisfactory performance and institutional approval) in complex plasma physics, starting in October 2026. The successful candidate will join Dr. Surabhi Jaiswal’s research group focusing on dust-plasma interaction under a high magnetic field environment. The candidate will have the opportunity to conduct experiments at a multiuser facility, perform data analysis, and conduct molecular dynamic simulation of magnetized dusty plasma.

Responsibilities

• Conduct laboratory experiments at the Magnetized Plasma Research Laboratory, a premier plasma science multiuser research facility

• Develop, run, and analyze data using Python and molecular dynamics simulations using open-source code LAMMPS

• Publish research results in peer-reviewed journals

• Present findings at scientific conferences

Required Qualifications

• PhD in plasma physics or a closely related field.

• Experience running molecular dynamic simulations and data analysis.

• Proficiency in Python and MATLAB programming.

• Demonstrated record of publication in peer-reviewed journals.

• Strong written and oral communication skills.

• Completion of a doctoral degree in the appropriate discipline is required.

• The doctoral degree must have been completed within the five years immediately preceding the first date of appointment as a postdoctoral fellow at the University.

• The individual cannot have held previous positions in the professional ranks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience related to dusty plasma experiments and simulations.

• Knowledge of image analysis techniques.

Compensation Grade

Postdoctoral Scholar

The budgeted salary for this position is $63,480.

To view the salary schedule for this position, please visit: Salary Schedules. Salary is competitive and commensurate with related education and experience.

Department Information

The Department of Physics at the University of Nevada, Reno houses around 20 tenure-track and research faculty, 5 teaching faculty, and around 40 PhD students. Our undergraduate program offers a physics major and an astronomy minor. Astrophysics research areas include black hole accretion and relativistic jets, multi-wavelength astronomy, and laboratory astrophysics experiments in photoionized plasmas and warm dense matter. We are a partner institution of the 0.7 meter Great Basin Observatory located in Great Basin National Park in Eastern Nevada (an International Dark Sky Park). The successful applicant will have access to UNR’s high performance computing cluster Pronghorn. The department also has close ties with the Nevada Center for Astrophysics, based in Las Vegas, which comprises 17 tenure-track research faculty with expertise from stars and exoplanets to multi-messenger astronomy. For more information, please see here: https://www.unr.edu/physics

Contact Information

Beth Jacobsen at 775-682-8787 or [email protected]

Please note, once you submit your application the only attachment/s viewable to you will be the attachment/s to the resume/CV section of the application. Any additional required attachment/s to the cover letter, references, additional documents sections of the application, will not be viewable to you after you submit your application. All uploaded attachment/s will be on the application for the committee to review. To request updates to attachments, prior to the committee review of applications, please contact the candidate helpdesk at [email protected]

Attach the following attachments to your application

1) Resume/CV

2) Cover Letter

3) Contact Information for Three Professional References

Posting Close Time

This posting will close at 12:00 am on the date listed below. The posting will no longer be available to apply to after 11:59 pm the day prior.

A background check will be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.

HR will attempt to verify academic credentials upon receipt of hiring documents. If the academic credentials cannot be verified, HR will notify the faculty member that an official transcript of their highest degree must be submitted within thirty days of the faculty member’s first day of employment.

References will be contacted at the appropriate phase of the recruitment process.

Applicants hired on a federal contract may be subject to E-Verify.

As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.

For positions that require driving, evidence of a valid driver's license will be required at the time of employment and as a condition of continued employment.

Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.

The University of Nevada, Reno is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a person’s age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race (including hair texture and protected hairstyles such as natural hairstyles, afros, bantu knots, curls, braids, locks and twists), color, or religion (protected classes). 

About Us

The University of Nevada, Reno is a leading public research university committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Founded in 1874 as Nevada’s original land-grant university, the University serves more than 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and 63 countries.

Classified by the Carnegie® Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 (“Very High Research”) university, it is also recognized in the Carnegie® Community Engagement classification. The University is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the “Best National Universities” and “Best National Public Universities.” It also ranks in the top tier of the WSJ/Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the New York Times’ “Top Colleges for Economic Diversity.”

Since 2009, nearly $1 billion has been has invested in advanced labs, facilities, and residence halls on the main campus. The University is home to Nevada’s first medical school – the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and the Wayne L. Prim Campus at Lake Tahoe, where education, research, and creative work thrive in a stunning mountain setting. The University delivers on its original land-grant mission with outreach across the state through the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Nevada Small Business Development Center, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and Wolf Pack Athletics.

The main campus is in Reno, Nevada, a burgeoning global technology hub with a vibrant midtown and downtown. Found where the high desert of the Great Basin meets the High Sierra and Lake Tahoe, the beautiful, 290-acre main campus is also a Nevada State Arboretum. The University’s physical infrastructure is expanding with ongoing construction of the newly named John Tullock Business Building, set to open in fall 2025. Groundbreaking is also planned for a new State Public Health Laboratory Building on campus, alongside the recent acquisition of 16 parcels near campus, known as “University Village,” to provide affordable housing for graduate students and early career faculty.

Collaborating with world-renowned organizations, the University fosters innovation through initiatives such as the Digital Wolf Pack partnership with Apple, which ensures equitable access to technology for students, providing new incoming freshman or transfer students with an iPad Air and accessories. Google’s TechWise initiate is an 18-month program that fully supports undergraduate students in becoming entry-level software engineers by graduation.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced that Nevada – led by the University of Nevada, Reno – was named one of the inaugural 31 Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (TechHubs). Nevada was selected from a competitive pool of 489 applicants from across the United States and its territories. Nevada’s Tech Hub will strengthen America’s lithium batteries, critical elements and other electric vehicle materials industry sectors within the state.

Through its commitment to high-impact education, world-improving research and creative activity, and outreach that’s transforming Nevada’s communities and businesses, the University continues its 150-year tradition of benefitting our state, nation and world.

The University recognizes that diversity promotes excellence in education and research. The inclusive and engaged community on campus recognizes the added value that students, faculty, and staff from different backgrounds bring to the educational experience.

Today, the University delivers on its original land-grant mission of access to education and knowledge by investing in the academics, facilities, support, engagement and vibrant campus life that promote our diverse students’ cognitive growth and academic achievement – all while remaining one of the best values in American higher education.

For more information, please visit the University’s website.