Creative Energy. Supercharged with Science.

Accelerate your career with a new role at the nation's newest national laboratory. Here you can be part of a team exploring the building blocks of matter and lay the ground work for scientific discoveries that will reshape our understanding of the atomic nucleus. Join a community with a common purpose of solving the most challenging scientific and engineering problems of our time.

 

Title Job ID Category Date Posted
Geant4 Developer 13214 Computer
EIC Detector Scientist II 13449 Science
Chief of Staff Intern 13457 Management
Master HVAC Facilities Tech 13479 Misc./Trades
SRF Production Engineer 13434 Engineering
Cleanroom Process Engineer 13447 Engineering
Hall A/C Staff Scientist 13399 Science
Mechanical Designer 13450 Misc./Trades
EIC Mechanical Technician 13478 Misc./Trades
Mechanical Designer II 13471 Design
Accounting Supervisor 13472 Accounting
Fire Detection Technician 13469 Environmental Safety
High Throughput Computing (HTC) Hardware Engineer 13197 Computer
Personal Property Specialist 13442 Technology
Fabrication/Welding Technician III (Cryogenics) 13481 Engineering
Storage Solutions Architect 13238 Computer
Electron Ion Collider (EIC) Deputy Project Director 13439 Management
Magnet Group Staff Engineer 13370 Engineering
Data Acquisition Scientist 13452 Science
Hall C Staff Engineer II 13178 Engineering
Electronics Technician Supervisor 13437 Misc./Trades
Electronics Technician III 13455 Misc./Trades
Senior Data Scientist 13443 Computer
Target Electronics Technician 13467 Misc./Trades
Senior Budget Manager 13466 Financial Services

A career at Jefferson Lab is more than a job. You will be part of “big science” and work alongside top scientists and engineers from around the world unlocking the secrets of our visible universe. Managed by Jefferson Science Associates, LLC; Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is entering an exciting period of mission growth and is seeking new team members ready to apply their skills and passion to have an impact. You could call it work, or you could call it a mission. We call it a challenge. We do things that will change the world.

Jefferson Lab Virtual Field Trip
Why choose Jefferson Lab
  • PASSION AND PURPOSE
    Middle School Science Bowl competitors huddle together to brainstorm the answer.
  • PASSION AND PURPOSE
    Local teachers share ideas for a classroom activity with other teachers during Teacher Night.
  • PASSION AND PURPOSE
    Two young learners hold up a model of the atom during Deaf Science Camp.
  • PASSION AND PURPOSE
    Staff Scientist Douglas Higinbotham snaps a selfie with some of the postdoc students he is mentoring.

At Jefferson Lab we believe in giving back to our community and encouraging the next generation of scientists and engineers. Our staff reaches out to students to advance awareness and appreciation of the range of research carried out within the DOE national laboratory system, to increase interest in STEM careers for women and minorities, and to encourage everyone to become a part of the next-generation STEM workforce. We are recognized for our innovative programs like:

  • 1,500 students from 15 Title I schools engage in the Becoming Enthusiastic About Math and Science (BEAMS) program at the lab each school year.

  • 60 teachers are enrolled in the Jefferson Science Associates Activities for Teachers (JSAT) program at the lab inspiring 9,000 students annually.

  • 24 high school students have internships and 34 college students have mentorships at the lab.

     

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Meet our people
  • Ritendra Bhattacharya – Cryogenics Deputy Department Head

    Cryogenics pro designs systems to be used on-site, in labs around the world

    Ritendra Bhattacharya is known for keeping things cool—cold, really. As deputy department head of the Cryogenics department at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Bhattacharya leads the cryogenics engineering group and helps to maintain the five cryogenics plants operating throughout the lab.

    Each cryogenic plant serves a unique function and needs to be operative 24/7 and 365 days a year using an unsupervised computer control system.

    As far as Bhattacharya is concerned, cryogenics is his dream field.

    “As a student, I learned all about various types of subsections that go into the field of cryogenics— such as thermodynamics, physics and electronics —and the area became very interesting to me,” he says. “That’s how I ended up joining the cryogenics group and I haven’t regretted it once. I haven’t thought of going to any other field. I love it.”

    When Bhattacharya joined the lab in 2017, he brought 15 years of experience working on “the distribution side” of cryogenics technology, largely for the groundbreaking ITER project. ITER is a magnetic fusion device that will help to determine the feasibility and requirements of using plasma fusion to generate clean energy on a large scale. 

    At the lab, Bhattacharya’s focus is on “the refrigerator side” of cryogenics, which he describes as the process of developing systems capable of cooling and storing large amounts of helium.

    He serves as the technical lead for a project to upgrade the Cryogenic Test Facility (CTF), which provides cryogenic services for the Test Lab to support the Vertical Test Area (VTA), the Cryomodule Test Facility (CMTF) and the Upgrade Injector Test Facility (UITF).

    Bhattacharya is also the technical lead for the 4 kilowatt at 4.5 Kelvin End Station Refrigerator 2 (ESR2) upgrade that will provide cryogenic support for the upcoming Measurement of a Lepton-Lepton Elastic Reaction (MOLLER) collaboration experiment, which will take place in Hall A.

    Additionally, he provides ongoing support as the commissioning lead for the Linac Coherent Light Source-II (LCLS-II) cryoplant at the DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

    Outside of his lab duties, Bhattacharya is still somewhat involved in ITER, which is scheduled to run in 2025.

    “I do have multiple interests involving cryogenics,” Bhattacharya admits. “One side puts me on a quest to produce green energy and the other is to understand basic atomic structure more.”  

    Cryogenics is indispensable component of many nuclear physics experiments

    Cryogenics is a field distinguished by the use of temperatures of -153 (about -307°F) and lower. According to Bhattacharya, cryogenics is an “indispensable component” in experiments run throughout the lab as it “provides crucial utilities to the lab’s superconducting machines so our colleagues can focus more on the research.”

    Bhattacharya’s first project at the lab was to use his cryogenics expertise to work on California-based LCLS-II project at SLAC.

    “SLAC originally had a room-temperature accelerator, and they planned to convert it to a superconducting accelerator,” he explains. “Our team was responsible for producing the cryogenic hardware for it, which we designed and fabricated at the lab and then sent to SLAC. They are turning on the cryogenic components one-by-one and testing them now. We have now transitioned to being consultants as the team at SLAC gets the system up and running.”

    Back at the lab, Bhattacharya has turned his attention to developing the ESR2 upgrade that is needed for MOLLER. MOLLER will use an 11 GeV longitudinally polarized electron beam to make a precise measurement of the weak mixing angle of scattered electrons.

    “The refrigerator we’re refurbishing for MOLLER was originally built for a Superconducting Super Collider project in the 1990’s,” Bhattacharya says. “The refrigerator was built, commissioned and run for six months to a year. Then, that machine was decommissioned and kept in storage at the lab until we started this project in 2019.”

    To prepare the machine, Bhattacharya and his team have stripped out the old materials and are rebuilding the system with upgraded components.

    “My role is to make sure we design and fabricate everything—and commission the machine—in order to provide the cryogenics support needed for the work scientists are doing here,” he says.

    ITER project remains ongoing

    In contrast to the basic science mission that Bhattacharya supports at Jefferson Lab, the ITER project he continues to follow is designed to functionally change the favored energy source for power plants on a global scale.

    ITER is one of the “most ambitious” energy projects in the world, according to its website. Once finished, it will be the world’s largest tokamak—or magnetic fusion device. The goal of ITER is to revolutionize the way power plants generate power by employing plasma fusion, which is safer and more efficient than current large-scale power production methods.

    “It’s like we are making the sun on Earth and then turning the energy the sun gives off into electricity to power entire communities,” explains Bhattacharya.

    During his years working on ITER, Bhattacharya’s roles included cryogenic co-coordinator and deputy cryogenic project team leader. His team included about 20 engineers responsible for executing the design, fabrication and installation of cryogenic distribution including cryogenic transfer lines for ITER.

    “The ITER project is a really big project,” Bhattacharya recognizes. “I still feel honored to have been a part of it from 2006 to 2017 during the phase of development the Indian Domestic team was involved with.”

    By Carrie Rogers

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The Jefferson Lab campus is located in southeastern Virginia amidst a vibrant and growing technology community with deep historical roots that date back to the founding of our nation. Staff members can live on or near the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay region or find peace in the deeply wooded coastal plain. You will have easy access to nearby beaches, mountains, and all major metropolitan centers along the United States east coast.

To learn more about the region and its museums, wineries, parks, zoos and more, visit the Virginia tourism page, Virginia is for Lovers

To learn more about life at Jefferson Lab, click here.

 

We support our inventors! The lab provides resources to employees for the development of patented technology -- with over 180 awarded to date! Those looking to obtain patent coverage for their newly developed technologies and inventions while working at the lab are supported and mentored by technology experts, from its discovery to its applied commercialization, including opportunities for monetary awards and royalty sharing. Learn more about our patents and technologies here.

  • Scott Conley
    Scott Conley
    Environmental Management Team

    "There is world-class research going on here. Any given day you can be in the room with genius physicists and that’s just amazing.”

  • Ashley Mitchell
    Ashley Mitchell
    SRF Chemistry Technician

    “Chemistry is the art of science and art; you’re manipulating and creating things. We have lots of different recipes to work with.”

  • Ron Lassiter
    Ron Lassiter
    Mechanical Designer

    “Here at the lab you get to see what you’ve worked on. You can hold it in your hands. It’s rewarding to know that you’ve played a part in helping the machine to be successful.”

  • Pashupati Dhakal
    Pashupati Dhakal
    Accelerator Operations

    "Not every day is the same day. Working in research and development, it’s not a one person job."

  • Katherine Wilson
    Katherine Wilson
    Staff Engineer

    “Generally, the mechanical engineers at the lab support the physicists. The physicists have the big ideas about how to support new science, and the engineers figure out how to make that happen.”

Jefferson Science Associates, LLC manages and operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Jefferson Science Associates/Jefferson Lab is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, or veteran status or on any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to recruiting @jlab.org or call (757) 269-7100 between 8 am – 5 pm EST to provide the nature of your request.

"Proud V3-Certified Company"

A Proud V3-Certified Company
JSA/Jefferson Lab values the skills, experience and expertise veterans can offer due to the myriad of experiences, skill sets and knowledge service members achieve during their years of service. The organization is committed to recruiting, hiring, training and retaining veterans, and its ongoing efforts has earned JSA/Jefferson Lab the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) certification, awarded by the Commonwealth of Virginia.