Finding a Job in the U.S. with a Background in Nuclear Physics: Tips and Advice

[starbuckBSG]

Hello, I'm a French scientific programmer with a PhD in Nuclear Physics. During and after my PhD, I worked and still work at a French national laboratory on nuclear energy working on scientific software. I'm moving to the U.S. in a few months for my American wife's career in Northern California (San Francisco Bay Area) and am a green card holder / permanent resident.

I plan to do the regular job search online, but I would also like to get involved in the scientific community to keep up my skill set and network. I would be happy to volunteer too. I've already signed up for membership with APS (American Physical Society) and ANS (American Nuclear Society), but would like to network more face-to-face. I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on my job search. I know it will be particularly hard because of my nuclear background (often, these jobs require U.S. citizenship / clearance). Merci!

 

[daveb]

Well, you'll be in Stanford's back yard, so I would start by looking at SLAC or Lawrence Livermoore.

 

[Norman]

Being geographically limited is going to make it harder, but I agree with daveb to check out Lawrence Livermore National Lab (https://www.llnl.gov/) and
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (http://www.slac.stanford.edu/).

In addition, both the APS and the ANS have job posting websites. The APS one is public, while the ANS is for members only (last time I checked). Those are always good places to start. You could look specifically at any universities near your new home. Always your best bet is to have an 'in' somewhere. Do any of your colleagues in France have American collaborators? If so, ask them to introduce you (even if by email) so you can start extending your network.

 

[starbuckBSG]

Thanks for the responses. I've been checking the Lawrence Livermore, Berkeley Lab, and SLAC career websites for some time, but most of the jobs in my expertise require U.S. citizenship which I will not have within 5 years' time. I've also subscribed to the APS and ANS career websites and have been checking those regularly. I'll keep up my efforts and keep looking for possible contacts.

Because of the government clearance / citizenship obstacle, I'm also looking into jobs in private industry. If anyone has any advice to that end, please let me know. My core programming skills are primarily in C++ in the Linux environment.

 

[Sheets]

It will be difficult to get a position at LLNL being a foreign national. FN's are hired but it is usually a bit targeted if you aren't moving up through the postdoc route.

If you do get hired in private industry I would be curious where you end up. There are plenty of jobs in the bay area for someone with a strong quantitative background could qualify for but it is less clear to me how easy it is for someone with a nuclear physics background.