GTRI Applied Optical Physicist

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.

The Electro-Optical and Infrared Systems Division’s (EISD’s) research is performed in all areas of the imaging chain. From basic geometric/radiometric modeling and analysis, through design and fabrication, to test and evaluation in the field, our team provides subject matter expertise to our customers in order to solve their most challenging problems in undersea, ground, airborne, and space domains. EISD is a collection of multi-disciplinary engineers and scientists encompassing optical, physics, mechanical, electrical, computer, and software domains, among others. Our portfolio consists of research programs in and related to the following application areas: Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR); Undersea Warfare; Atmospheric Optics; Tactical Imaging, e.g. Degraded Visual Environments (DVE); Automatic Target Recognition; Intelligence Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (PED); Free-space Optical Communications; Space Situational Awareness (SSA); Tagging, Tracking, and Locating (TTL); LIDAR; Remote Sensing; etc.

Job Purpose

An applied physicist leverages knowledge and skills from the fields of physics, chemistry, material science, and mathematics to contribute to the research, analysis, design, and development of innovative systems, sensors, materials, and devices. They design and conduct experiments and/or simulations to ascertain physical properties and behaviors. Experiments conducted may involve the measurement, characterization, and testing of equipment and environmental phenomenology using specialized tools. Fundamental physical principles are used to inform the design of systems and sensors, to evaluate their theoretical performance, and to develop algorithms. Areas of application may include: optical systems, energy systems and storage, quantum systems, EO/IR & RF M&S and analysis, and photonics, and new materials. An applied physicist might also contribute to the development and application of new materials related to energy production, harvesting, and storage or to areas as diverse as healthcare, entertainment, or national security.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform basic tests, experiments, calculations, and/or simulations to determine physical parameters/properties and behaviors of materials and systems and conduct basic data analysis on the results of measurements and/or simulations
• Perform literature surveys on research topics
• Generate documentation of experiments and results

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Foundational understanding in at least one of the following research areas: remote sensing, optics, atmospheric phenomenology, imaging, optical communications, optical detection theory, etc.
• Experience developing algorithms and/or performing data analysis using one or more of the following programming languages: Python, MATLAB, IDL, etc.
• Hands-on experience performing benchtop optical system tests and/or familiarity with imaging systems and radiometric calculations
• Experience with generating documentation for detailing experiments and results
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret Security Clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Secret Clearance
• Experience with at least one modeling & simulation and/or optical design tools (e.g. MODTRAN, DIRSIG, Zemax, Code V, etc.)
• Experience working with active and passive electro-optical systems including, but not limited to LIDARs, infrared imagers, hyperspectral imagers, polarimeters, lasers.
• Software development experience in Python, MATLAB, C/C++
• Experience specifying optical, opto-mechanical, laser, and/or sensor components to comply with system requirements
• Experience with image and signal processing
• Project management and task leadership experience