PhD/Postdoc in Optics

The Bilenca lab is seeking highly motivated, outstanding, curious and creative PhD candidates/post-doctoral researchers for cutting-edge experimental research aimed at the development of the next generation of all-optical mechanical-contrast microscopy (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-020-0882-0).

PhD/postdoctoral positions are available immediately with negotiable starting dates.

The proposed research: The Bilenca lab develops optical microscopy and imaging technologies for studying important problems in biology, medicine and material sciences. Over the past few years, we have been developing stimulated Brillouin scattering microscopy to enable all-optical, mechanical-contrast imaging of materials and biological systems with high spatial, spectral and temporal resolution (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26974082/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28994794/; https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016APLP….1f1301R/abstract).

The current projects aim at significantly improving the imaging speed of stimulated Brillouin scattering microscopes using novel excitation and detection schemes, providing new means for studying also dynamics of biological systems, including that in cells and organisms.

The proposed projects are multidisciplinary and employ various experimental tools in laser optics, free-space/fiber optics, nonlinear optics, and biological imaging to develop the next generation of stimulated Brillouin scattering microscopy. The project will consist, for example, of building a pulsed laser and a heterodyne detector and their integration in a stimulated Brillouin scattering microscope for subsequently imaging biological cells and organisms.

Qualifications: A former degree in engineering or physics, or another related field, is required. A prerequisite is a strong experiential experience in laser optics and in free-space/fiber optics. Good programming skills in LabView/Matlab/C/Python are essential. Some background in imaging of biological samples is an advantage, but not a must.

The University and Location: The lab is part of the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology and the Biomedical Engineering Department, in the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel. The city of Beer-Sheva houses a vibrant student and post-doc community, including many international scholars. It is located in the south of Israel, with convenient trains to the center/north of the country. The University provides an international working environment with excellent infrastructure and a collaborative scientific community.