Principal Investigator — Coherent Matter Systems
Lead a standing research group investigating coherence and decoherence in engineered matter at scales where the settled literature stops being predictive. The programme is long-horizon and instrument-heavy, and the group is judged on the quality of its measurements rather than its publication rate.
- Location
- Zürich, Switzerland
- Level
- Principal
- Clearance
- Level 4
- Reference
- ON-AR-1101
- Division
- Advanced Research
- Site
- Secure campus
- Region
- EMEA
- Engagement
- Full-time · On site
- Travel
- Occasional — partner institutions, Europe and Japan
- Reports to
- Director, Advanced Research
What the role is responsible for.
- Set the scientific direction for a group of eight to twelve researchers and the technicians who support them.
- Own the experimental roadmap end to end — apparatus design, measurement campaign, error budget, and the decision to abandon a line of inquiry when the data says so.
- Chair the group's internal review and hold the standard on what counts as a result.
- Translate findings into engineering language for the Aerospace, Defense, and Autonomous Systems divisions without overclaiming.
- Represent the programme to the Ethics & Governance office and to sponsoring institutions during disclosure review.
What we need you to bring.
- Doctorate in condensed matter physics, quantum optics, or a closely adjacent field, plus a record of independent research leadership.
- First-hand responsibility for a cryogenic or ultra-high-vacuum measurement platform, including its failure modes.
- Demonstrated ability to design an experiment that can falsify your own hypothesis.
- Publication and peer-review history sufficient to establish standing in the field.
- Eligibility for sponsored vetting to Level 4.
Useful, not essential.
- Experience running a programme under partial disclosure restriction.
- Working familiarity with materials characterisation at a national facility.
- German or French for campus and partner interaction.
We read the preferred list as a description of a useful background, not a checklist. Candidates who meet the required list and none of the preferred are regularly hired.
Who you would be joining.
Advanced Research operates from Zürich, Boston, and Tsukuba. The Zürich campus houses the coherent matter, cryogenics, and metrology groups on a shared instrument floor; groups compete for beam time and cooperate on everything else.
What to know before you apply.
Some programme detail is disclosed only after vetting completes. The written exchange stage can proceed before then.
All candidates undergo comprehensive vetting. Reasonable accommodation is available at any stage — say so in your first note and it will be arranged. We do not use unverified third-party recruiters, and we never ask a candidate for a fee.