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Job Summary

Caltech’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) seeks a highly motivated and skilled Project Vacuum Engineer to join its Cosmic Explorer Beamtube Experiment (CEBEX) team at the Richland, Washington observatory site.  

LIGO Laboratory is a major National Science Foundation facility dedicated to observing the newly discovered gravitational-wave universe. Jointly operated by the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, LIGO operates the world’s leading gravitational observatories near Richland, WA and Baton Rouge, LA, as well as campus R&D centers in Pasadena, CA and Cambridge, MA. 

This position is a fulltime in-person role located at LIGO Hanford in Richland, WA.

To learn more about LIGO Laboratory, please visit  LIGO.caltech.edu. The Laboratory’s mission supports the young science of gravitational-wave physics and astronomy and includes observatory operations, analysis and dissemination of astrophysical observations, detector science and technology R&D, gravitational-wave astrophysics, and education and public outreach. 

LIGO now also leads the effort to expand humanity’s gravitational wave horizon with a next-generation observatory, Cosmic Explorer (CE). Slated for construction in the 2030’s, CE will be ten times the size and reach of LIGO, able to gather signals from the edge of the observable universe.  

The selected applicant will join an elite team charged with conceiving, designing and testing advanced technology for the CE vacuum systems, destined to be the largest ultrahigh vacuum systems ever built. We will exercise and develop this technology in a new, purpose-built UHV research facility, the Cosmic Explorer Beamtube Experiment (CEBEX) Laboratory, located at LIGO Hanford.  

This is an Organizational Critical position. In the event of an emergency on campus, an employee designated as organizational critical is expected to report to Campus as soon as possible to assist in division/department response and recovery efforts.

Essential Job Duties

Current Washington and Louisiana LIGO installations occupy 4 km long, 10 million-liter UHV systems operating at one trillionth of atmospheric pressure (10-9 millibar), making them the two largest contiguous UHV volumes ever constructed. The planned Cosmic Explorer observatory will require beamtubes 10x longer, up to 40 km in length. This will multiply CE’s detectable source range by ten, increasing the accessible volume of space thousandfold.  However, UHV structures of this size and volume have never been attempted. 

As a key founding member of the CEBEX team, the selectee will contribute to the modeling, trade study, design, fabrication, installation, bakeout and characterization of engineering prototypes and technology demonstrators for CE beamtubes up to 40 km in length.  Tests will include qualification of a planned 1.2-meter diameter, 120-meter-long demonstration tube, to be erected in the new purpose-built CEBEX laboratory at LHO.  In parallel, the chosen candidate will take a lead role in forging results of these investigations into a conceptual design, construction and installation plan, and parametric cost estimate. These will form the core of our future CE observatory construction proposal.

This position will report to the Vacuum Team Lead at LIGO Hanford Observatory. 

To accomplish these objectives, the selectee will be expected to: 

• Collaborate with research scientists and engineers in modeling and investigation of UHV techniques, surface preparation, residual gas characterization, material surface analysis, welding and fabrication technology, structural statics and dynamics, and related disciplines.
• Plan and oversee specification and procurement of instruments and equipment, including budget development, technical requirement definition, competitive vendor selection, contract monitoring, and quality assurance.
• Serve as a contributing member or chair on Design, Technical, Installation and other internal Review panels as may be required.
• Initiate and collaborate in writing and delivering research papers and technical presentations.
• Develop, oversee and operate UHV material preparation and test facilities, including cleaning plants, bake ovens, and outgassing test chambers used to prepare or evaluate UHV components and instrumentation.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Travel from time to time to other LIGO campus and observatory sites, major vendor facilities, and collaborating institutions, both domestic and international.

Basic Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical or Systems Engineering; Physics; Material Science; or a related scientific or engineering field. 5+ years of equivalent experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.
• 5 or more years overall of direct engineering or research work experience in relevant industrial or scientific applications. 
• Demonstrated experience in design, operation, analysis, and performance characterization of high- or ultra-high vacuum systems, including safety analysis, pressure measurement, pump and valve selection, surface preparation, bakeout, and seal technology.
• Knowledge and experience in selection and application of UHV-compatible materials.
• Proficiency in application and interpretation of spectra from residual gas analyzers.
• Experience in application of helium mass‐spectrometer leak detection (MSLD) apparatus.
• Effective English‐language written and verbal communication skills and habits.
• Level-headed professionalism and excellent interpersonal and team skills.
• Ability to obtain and maintain an automobile driver’s license valid in the United States.
• Ability to lift at least 25 pounds.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience related to industrial automation as applied to large-scale vacuum systems.
• Hands-on experience in building, improving and maintaining high- or ultra- high vacuum systems.
• Experience related to fluid, cryogen, pressure, flow rate, and gas sensors and instrumentation.
• Computer-aided design (CAD) experience and demonstrated proficiency (SolidWorks™ preferred).
• Finite-element analysis (FEA) experience and demonstrated proficiency (e.g., Ansys™ or equivalent).
• Gas dynamical modeling expertise (e.g., using MOLFLOW™ or equivalent Monte Carlo codes). 

Required Documents

• Cover letter summarizing your relevant experience and why you'd like to work at LIGO Lab on the CEBEX experiment.
• Resume.