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
Hall C Staff Engineer II 13178 Engineering
HPDF Project Director 13373 Computer
Experimental Nuclear Physics Nathan Isgur Fellowship 13282 Science
EIC Mechanical Technician 13358 Misc./Trades
Sr. Designer 13353 Design
Finance & Payroll Accountant 13325 Financial Services
Safety Systems Technician 13288 Technology
Hall D Electro-Mechanical Technician 13138 Misc./Trades
Target Group Technician 13276 Misc./Trades
CIS Postdoctoral Fellow 13102 Science
Deputy Associate Director - Environment, Safety and Health 13333 Engineering
Mechanical Designer 13354 Design
Hall C Mechanical Technician/Welder 13262 Misc./Trades
Senior Vacuum Scientist 13187 Science
Head of Nuclear Physics Computing and Software 13339 Computer
Hall A Mechanical Technician I 13319 Misc./Trades
IT Project Manager 13340 Clerical/Admin
Facilities Services Administrator 13281 Clerical/Admin
Lead Magnet Measurement Engineer 13366 Engineering
Sr. Contracts Counsel 13341
Conventional Facilities Project Manager 13351 Engineering
Storage Solutions Architect 13238 Computer
RadCon Manager 13337 Environmental Safety
Geant4 Developer 13214 Computer
Survey and Alignment Technician (Metrology) 13306 Misc./Trades
Graduate Student Research Assistant 13360 Research
Data Center Operations Manager 13327 Engineering
Facilities Master HVAC Technician 13367 Misc./Trades
Mechanical Engineer III 13140 Engineering
Cryogenic Electrical Engineer II 13312 Engineering
Hall C Mechanical Designer II 13307 Misc./Trades
Property Clerk 13296 Clerical/Admin
Accounts Payable Specialist 13347 Accounting
ES&H Program Manager for Capital Assets 13332 Environmental Safety
Hall D Mechanical Technician 13356 Misc./Trades
Hall A Technologist/Design Drafter 13285 Engineering
Technical Student Intern 13350 Computer
ES&H Department Head 13338 Engineering
SRF Accelerator Physicist 13359 Science
Hall A Mechanical Technician II 13320 Misc./Trades
Project Controls Analyst 13302 Clerical/Admin
High Throughput Computing (HTC) Hardware Engineer 13197 Computer
Project Planner/Scheduler 13363 Clerical/Admin
Hall C Mechanical Engineer 13355 Engineering
Industrial Hygiene Technician 13324 Environmental Safety
Sustainability Engineer (Electrical) 13364 Engineering
Maintenance Planner/Scheduler 13362 Clerical/Admin
DC Power Systems Engineer 13371 Engineering
Mechanical Technician II 13361 Engineering
ES&H Inspection Program Lead 13323 Environmental Safety
Hall D - Post Doctoral Fellow 13258 Science
Electronics Engineer II - EIC 13335 Engineering
Project Services and Support Office Manager 13330 Management
AV Support Technician II 13349 Technology
Hall D Electronics Technician 13334 Misc./Trades
Theory Administrative Student Intern 13274 Science
Data Scientist Postdoc 13342 Science

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.

Welcome from Stuart Henderson, Lab Director
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
  • Phiala Shanahan, Theory Division

    A Problem-Solver Breaking through Barriers

    Phiala Shanahan loves having problems to solve—and a team to collaborate with on her quest to prove her theories. Though she is one of the newest senior scientists at Jefferson Lab, Shanahan already has identified and developed a plan for how she might help solve one of the biggest problems facing nuclear physicists: the true structure of strong forces within the nucleus. Now it’s up to her team of collaborators to prove her theory.

    As a theoretical physicist, Shanahan spends a good deal of her time at her computer studying the strong forces of gluons. She writes complex computer codes for simulations that she then runs through Jefferson Lab’s SciPhi-XVI supercomputer. Based on those simulations, Shanahan has developed potentially groundbreaking theories about gluonic effects.

    “What I’ve been doing is trying to explain the structure of nuclei from fundamental physics principles,” Shanahan explains. “We all learn that a nucleus is made up of a bunch of protons and neutrons. That’s based on empirical observation. Our theory tells us that, really, it’s made up of quarks and gluons, because protons and neutrons are made of quarks and gluons.”

    A Measurable Gluonic Effect                                                                                              

    Shanahan notes that the idea of a gluonic effect was first proposed in 1989—before she was born. Yet, now, says Shanahan, gluonic effects are potentially experimentally measurable and also calculable from fundamental theories, thanks, in part, to faster supercomputers that enable complicated calculations.

    “Before, we weren’t at a stage where these effects could be calculated or measured. Now, we’re at a point where they might actually be measured from experiment,” she says. “Calculating them from theory involves supercomputer calculations, and writing code to do this is highly nontrivial. We’re only just reaching a point where our computing power is sufficient.”

    Shanahan is particularly excited by a result that came out in September. “I did a calculation that shows for the first time that a nucleus has gluonic effects that are not just the effects you’d have from a collection of protons and neutrons,” she says. “These are non-nucleonic glue effects in a nucleus. The reason this is super-exciting is that this is not an effect that is in most of our models of nuclear structure at this point in time. It’s something new.”

     Moreover, with the completion of Jefferson Lab’s 12 GeV Upgrade project, scientists are able to delve into the mysteries of matter in the universe deeper than ever before. Further measurement would be possible through the use of a proposed high-energy, high-luminosity polarized Electron-Ion Collider, or EIC.

    “It may be possible to test this prediction experimentally within the next five to ten years,” says Shanahan. “This is exciting, because it’s a new effect—we have a concrete prediction for it—and we will be able to measure it using the new experiments. We will know whether our prediction matches the universe or not.”

    Experimenting with Collaborators

    As a theoretical physicist, Shanahan relies on her experimental physicist collaborators to develop experiments to test her theories. “It’s not exciting if I understand something from theory that we’re never going to be able to measure experimentally,” says Shanahan. “To really be able to have an answer, you need a theory and an experiment.”

    While Shanahan waits for an electron-ion collider to be built, she has been cultivating a team of collaborators that will help her test the theory. They meet regularly to discuss the experiment, often for week-long work retreats where they work nearly around-the-clock planning and discussing ongoing research across the field that contributes to their problem-at-hand.

    How do Shanahan and her collaborators go about preparing for an experiment that could be years away? “First, you need to work out what’s interesting and then you need to work out how to do it,” explains Shanahan. “Knowing what’s interesting comes down to knowing the state of the field—knowing where that cutting-edge of science is and where the little dark corners are where we don’t quite have a complete understanding, but that might lead to something interesting.”

    Problem Solving Outside of the Lab

    For Shanahan, the enjoyment of working out solutions to complex problems transcends her work at the lab. She is also a devout rock-climber, a hobby she says she shares with many of her scientist colleagues, including her husband. “There seem to be quite a large number of scientists who also rock climb,” she says. “And there are a lot of excellent musicians.”

    Shanahan and her husband are building a 16-foot bouldering cave in their back yard. As for being a musician, Shanahan played in a cover band throughout college, specializing in “classic party music.” She plays saxophone, clarinet, piano and guitar. Just like in the lab, Shanahan is well-versed in the art of focusing on her craft, then combining efforts with collaborators to make something new.

    Though Phiala Shanahan is only 26, the Australia native has already been a postdoctoral research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earned the 2016 American Physical Society Dissertation Award in Hadronic Physics and landed an assistant professorship at the College of William & Mary. She has also been named by Forbes Magazine as one of their “Top 30 under 30” recipients in the 2017 science category.

     

    December 2017

Youtube videos

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.

  • Jian-Ping Chen
    Jian-Ping Chen
    Senior Staff Scientist

    “Every time we solve problems, we contribute. It’s exciting times for new results and discoveries.”

  • 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.”

  • 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.”

  • Holly Szumila-Vance
    Holly Szumila-Vance
    Staff Scientist

    "Today, we use a lot of those same teamwork traits [learned from the military] on a daily basis as we're all working toward similar goals here at the lab in better understanding nuclei!"

  • 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."

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.