Dear Colleagues, 
 
We are seeking a motivated young scientist or engineer with excellent skills in programming and computing to join the PROXIMA 2 team at Synchrotron SOLEIL. Please forward the announcement below to any interested parties.
 
Kind regards, 
Bill
 
Post-doctoral Position - Scientific Programmer -  PROXIMA 2
 
The position is available immediately. Deadline for submission of applications is the 15th March 2011 

SOLEIL is an optimized, 3rd generation, 2.75 GeV synchrotron light source located 25 km south of Paris, France. A  total of 26 beamlines, covering  the whole energy range  from IR to hard X-rays, provides an outstanding panel of experimental tools based on synchrotron radiation for physics, chemistry, biology and environmental sciences. The  first 20 beamlines, several of which are using new concepts of undulator sources, are open to users. A permanent  staff of 358 people operates the installation.  

The PROXIMA 2A beamline  is dedicated  to micro-crystallography  and  specifically designed  to handle  the  fragile micro-crystals  of  biological  macromolecules.  The  source  is  an  in-vacuum  U24  undulator  installed  on  a  canted section, and the X-rays will focus down to 5 µm × 5 µm over an energy range of 5 - 15 keV. The beamline will be equipped with  a micro-diffractometer,  focusing X-ray mirrors,  an  area  detector  and  robotic  sample  changer. The experimental station will also be capable of measuring anomalous differences for MAD or SAD phasing experiments  in  the above energy  range. The beamline  is currently  in  the construction phase, and  it will be opened  to users  in  2012.
 
1. Mission 
We  are  seeking  a motivated  young  scientist  or  engineer  with  excellent  skills  in  programming  and  computing,  a strong  interest  in macromolecular crystallography and a background  in  its methodological basis. As a member of the PROXIMA  2A  beamline  team,  your  principle mission will  be  to  develop  and  integrate  software  at  the  "client-level" to communicate with the device servers of the hardware level (TANGO). The software will include routines for commissioning,  maintaining  and  operating  the  beamline  (such  as  alignment  procedures,  data  collections,  and beamline  calibrations).  These  software  routines  will  be  linked  to  graphical  user  interfaces  (e.g.  MXCuBE  & GlobalScreen). You will also be involved in research projects developing new functionalities for the instrumentation on the beamline, as well as novel analytical and computational techniques in micro-crystallography. 

For further information, contact [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> . 

2. Qualifications & Experience 
Candidates should preferably hold a Ph.D. in macromolecular crystallography or the equivalent of a Masters degree in computing with at  least 3 years of experience  in a  relevant science or engineering  field. Plenty of experience in computing and excellent skills in programming is a pre-requisite. Candidates should have expertise  in  the programming of scripting  languages, preferably  in Python and Unix/Linux shells (e.g. bash), as well as other languages such as C++, Qt or Visual Basic. Experience in macromolecular X-ray crystallography methodology or synchrotron beamline instrumentation will be much appreciated. 

3. General conditions 
The offer concerns a Post-doctoral contract for a one year-period renewable or a fixed term contract contract (CDD, Contrat de Durée Détérminé). The place of work will be at Synchrotron SOLEIL, which is located in the Paris suburbs (Saint-Aubin).  Applications  should  include  a  motivation  letter  and  Curriculum  Vitae  with  the  addresses  of  two  referees.  Please submit applications online at http://candidature.synchrotron-soleil.fr/VotreCandidature/ <http://candidature.synchrotron-soleil.fr/VotreCandidature/>  mentioning the reference "Post-Doc-PROXIMA2".