Abstract: I will tell you about my experience as a postdoc in the field of quantum materials at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. I study twisted layer devices and topological materials using low-temperature ultrahigh-vacuum techniques. I will discuss the process of getting a postdoc position and the differences between national lab and university settings. I will also talk about my experience applying for tenure-track positions at teaching schools.
Bio: I did my undergrad and Master's in Moscow, Russia in both physics and applied mathematics. As a Master's student, I spent a year in Fermilab (near Chicago, IL) as a visiting scientist working on superconducting radiofrequency niobium cavities. After I joined the University of IL as a PhD student, I focused on quantum physics in crystalline materials. In my PhD in Vidya Madhavan's group, I studied thin films of topological insulators and nanopatterned superconductor/topological insulator heterostructures. My experimental expertise includes scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), molecular beam epitaxy, atomic force microscopy, and various common material analysis techniques. Currently I work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, performing STM and electronic transport at 10mK studying quantum materials. I am pursuing an academic career and trying to get a permanent position at a university.
