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Staff Scientist

Posted on Oct. 14, 2025

Espoo, Finland
0 - 0 USD (yearly)

Full Time

Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and a staff of more than 4000, of which 400 are professors. Our main campus is located in Espoo, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness in the future as well. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

Staff Scientist position in Low Temperature research

Are you an expert in cryogenics, low temperature measurement techniques and nanofabrication? Would you like to work in an inspiring, world-class research environment? We are committed to ambitiously building a better world and offer you a chance to participate and contribute to realizing our vision as a member of our community.

The Low Temperature Laboratory (LTL) in Aalto University, Finland, is looking for a Staff Scientist to manage the daily operations of LTL cryogenic and fabrication facilities. The position is permanent and full-time. The starting date is as soon as possible.

The Low Temperature Laboratory is a part of the National OtaNano Research Infrastructure in Finland. OtaNano includes state-of-the-art facilities for fabrication, characterization and measurement of nanostructures, materials and devices. The Low Temperature Laboratory part of the infrastructure serves more than 150 users annually by offering various cryogenic installations and nanofabrication facilities. It is one of the world centers in ultralow temperature physics and technology. The leading position is based on vigorous in-house development and construction of sub-mK refrigerators. For more information, please see

http://otanano.aalto.fi/

Your role

Your leading role is to provide daily experimental and technical support for research groups accessing the Low Temperature Laboratory (LTL) facilities. The job includes (but is not limited to):

Service tasks:

Your main responsibility is to provide to LTL users technical support for day-to-day operations of cryogenic and nanofabrication facilities, user training for a variety of tools and instruments, together with the needed methods and skills to allow research work in a safe and productive way.
Development and maintaining LTL technological and scientific capabilities, supporting the core fields of quantum technology and nanoelectronics, micro- and nanophotonics, and nanostructured materials.
Full responsibility for LTL clean room operation and Cryo liquid center:
- Providing user support and training, managing equipment upgrades and maintenance, and planning cleanroom development;
- Conduct regular safety audits of cleanroom environments and cryo liquid centers to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations;
- Develop strict contamination control procedures for cleanrooms to ensure high purity levels for sensitive experiments;
- Implement comprehensive documentation systems for tracking maintenance schedules, incident reports, and user feedback;
- Implementing a preventive maintenance program for LTL equipment and cryo liquid systems to minimize downtime and extend the lifespan of machinery;
- Organizing the proper storage, usage, and disposal of chemicals utilized by LTL users;
- Maintenance and support for three LTL helium liquefiers, facilitating the delivery of liquid helium to users, and managing the operation of helium-based equipment and cryostats;
- Optimize the use and storage of cryogenic liquids, employing efficient handling practices and ensuring a reliable supply to maintain uninterrupted operation of cryostats.
Implement and adhere to a strict schedule for routine maintenance and servicing, including cleaning, adsorber change, trap regeneration, and component replacement, to prevent equipment degradation.
Implement robust procedures for data collection and storage, ensuring the integrity and security of sensitive experimental data.
Regularly calibrate sensors and measurement instruments, validating their precision and reliability to support accurate data collection.
Designing and developing new LTL equipment, such as magnetometers, THz spectrometers, and measurement devices, while offering technical assistance for the maintenance and repair of existing LTL devices.
Help to maintain and develop the equipment (dilution refrigerators, helium liquefiers, liquid helium-based facilities) at optimum operational performance and provide established processes to guarantee success in sample fabrication and its characterization from day one for a new user.
Opening LTL infrastructure up further via established partnerships, agreements and access programs and ensuring that the infrastructure governance and management are suited best to fulfil the mission of the OtaNano Research Infrastructure.
Help to maintain the equipment at optimum operational performance and provide established processes to guarantee success in sample fabrication and its characterization from day one for a new user.
Active management and development of LTL research infrastructure.

User support and supervision:

Responsible for conducting cleanroom and chemical safety courses for LTL facility users.
Establish comprehensive safety protocols for the handling and operation of cryostats and cryo liquids, conduct regular training sessions for staff to ensure awareness and adherence to best practices in cryogenic safety.
Students’ supervision during their first independent work and help them to enhance their acquired skills.
Organizing introduction and safety training for new users.
User support in selected steps of the fabrication process to ensure a successful sample fabrication for the students from an early stage until the student masters all the necessary tools.

Your expertise

To succeed in this role, you’ll need a combination of strong technical skills, deep expertise in cryogenics, low temperature measurement techniques and nanofabrication, as well as capability and ambition for development and maintenance of LTL research infrastructure. This is a service position, and it is important that helping others motivates you, and that you can easily get along with different kind of people.

In more detail, you´ll need

Proven experience in clean room equipment development, operation and maintenance
Proven experience in cryogenic technologies including dry dilution cryostats operation and problem solving
Proven experience in vacuum technique maintenance and development
Proven experience in cryoliquid handling, support of helium liquefaction facilities and installations
Proven experience in equipment development, maintenance and instrumentation design
Experience in organizing chemicals handling, utilization and
Experience in user training, developing user manuals, communicating with device manufacturers
PhD degree in physics or materials sciences
Strong experience in cryogenic instrumentation and low temperature-oriented research
Excellent communication and cooperation skills
Strong organization skills
Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Fluent oral and written skills in English
Experience in operating in a Finnish work environment.

We also value

Research experience in the fields of advanced low temperature physics
Experience in e-beam lithography systems (pattern and process design, problem solving)
Experience in vacuum techniques and electronics
Experience in operation and maintenance of sputtering and thin film evaporation systems
Experience with programming and familiar with MATLAB, LabVIEW and CAD software
Experience in RAMAN spectroscopy
Experience in microwave&THz techniques
Experience in surveying and negotiating with international distributors globally for experimental equipment: electronics, mechanical parts, etc.
Experience in training people to use delicate equipment

What we offer

We offer you a permanent position in a vibrant, multi-cultural academic environment. You will be able to use your skills and expertise to develop our world-class research environment, as well as to participate in research conducted at the highest international level.

The starting salary is determined according to collective agreement of Finnish Universities, depending on experience and qualifications, and it will increase with responsibilities and performance over time. We have flexible working time as well as wide range of opportunities to learn and develop yourself. In addition, we´ll offer occupational health care services.

Ready to apply?

If you want to join our community, please submit your application no later than 27 October 2025 at 23.59pm (EET) through the electronic recruitment system. To apply, please share the following application materials with us (all documents in English as single PDF):

Letter of motivation (max. two pages)
Curriculum vitae, including education, work experience, possible teaching experience

Please note: Aalto University’s employees should apply for the position via our internal HR system Workday (Internal Jobs) by using their existing Workday user account (not via the external webpage for open positions). If you are a student or visitor at Aalto University, please apply with your personal email address (not aalto.fi) via Aalto University open positions.

Should you have any questions about the position, we will be happy to answer. Please contact the team leader, Senior Staff Scientist Alexander Savin. He is best available on workdays during 10:00-12:00 Finnish time. Tel: +358 503442752. Email: firstname.lastname@aalto.fi.

Questions related to the recruitment process or applications, please contact HR Partner Maarit Pietiäinen by e-mail: firstname.lastname@aalto.fi.

More information on Aalto as employer:

https://www.aalto.fi/en/careers-at-aalto

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