Physicist

Ideon Technologies, headquartered near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, uses the energy from supernova explosions in space to image deep beneath the Earth’s surface. The world pioneer in cosmic-ray muon tomography, Ideon has developed the REVEAL™ Subsurface Intelligence Platform®, comprising an advanced suite of proprietary data-generation hardware, software, AI-powered services, and multi-physics fusion that provide x-ray-like visibility deep underground and unlock the exponential power of integrated spatial data.

By transforming muon data into reliable 3D density maps, Ideon helps geologists identify, map, characterize, and monitor mineral deposits with confidence. This reduces risk and cost of traditional methods, while saving time, optimizing return, and minimizing environmental impact across the mining value chain. In turn, this is helping accelerate the world’s transition to low-impact mining and transform how companies recover the critical minerals required to power the global shift to clean energy – improving peoples’ lives and enhancing economic prosperity.

We are a dynamic tech scale-up of 80+ employees (and growing!), with Ideonians in Canada, USA, Chile, Australia, and soon, Indonesia. We are a team that is entrepreneurial by nature and focused on doing things right to deliver great customer outcomes. We are committed to seeking out the best brains and the most exceptional humans, wherever they come from and however they happen to be packaged.

The Role

We are seeking a Physicist who will work as part of our research and development team to brainstorm, develop, and refine solutions that make up our subsurface intelligence platform. You will work on refining our current suite of systems, but also on developing new cutting-edge technologies so that we can expand what we offer to our customers.

You will report to the Principal Physicist and focus on the following activities:

• Design and execute experiments in the lab which will drive the design and development of our technology platform
• Contribute to the design and implementation of new sensors
• Characterize detector performance, including resolution, efficiency, and other performance metrics
• Develop and maintain Python and C++ code in Linux for Monte Carlo simulation (e.g. Geant4), data inversion, detector performance analysis and hardware design optimization.
• Analyze and interpret muon data from lab and field deployments, and troubleshoot issues across the hardware, firmware and software chain.
• Advise manufacturing and engineering so our hardware always meets or exceeds its core sensing requirements.
• Document results meticulously and contribute to patents, technical reports and, where appropriate, publications.

Priorities in the first few months will include:

• Familiarizing yourself lightning fast with our current technology platform to be able to effectively troubleshoot and correct issues
• Performing lab tests that will drive the design of our next-generation detectors

Success in the role looks like/Outcomes we are looking for include:

• You actively contribute to the development of our technology platform through design, simulation, and testing
• You provide in-depth advice to the manufacturing and engineering teams to ensure that our hardware always meets or exceeds core sensing capabilities to provide high quality, useful data that supports our customer solutions.

Qualifications

Must-haves – You’ll need the following to move forward in the hiring process (and be successful in the role).

• Degree in physics or equivalent, preferably PhD, but MSc degree combined with rich experience and skillset will also be considered
• Solid understanding of subatomic particles, as well as electromagnetic theory
• Expert-level skills and experience with object-oriented coding in Python including with NumPy, Matplotlib, Pandas, SciPy libraries
• Minimum intermediate-level experience with Linux, very familiar with shell scripting (Bash, zsh, or other)
• Minimum intermediate-level experience programming with C++
• Experience setting up experiments to test research hypotheses
• Familiarity using oscilloscopes, signal generators, and similar electronic lab equipment
• Attention to detail and meticulous documentation of experiment outcomes
• Well-developed communication skills in English at a fluent or professional level; able to be assertive and respectful
• Legally able and currently documented to work full time hours in Canada

We also look for the following from all new Ideon team members:

• Experience in or excitement for working in a tech scale-up; happy to wear a few hats and adjust on the fly.
• An ambitious, can-do attitude; you get that we’re doing challenging work and are excited to dive in.
• Enthusiastic and confident to take initiative and be adaptable in an agile, fast-paced environment.
• Solid teamwork skills; you’re accountable to yourself and your team and will jump in to help where you can.
• Creative solutioning mindset with great problem-solving skills.
• Insatiable curiosity paired with a drive to deliver.
• Able to work well under pressure and to meet committed deadlines.
• Great interpersonal skills; able to build relationships with colleagues, customers, and external stakeholders.
• Able to contribute something “extra” to our culture beyond the work that you do, like wowing people with your home-baked goods, sharing improv comedy skills, or organizing sports games.

Nice-to-haves – While it would be nice if you had some of the below, we’re happy to train, coach and share our experience.

• Direct experience with muon detection, cosmic-ray physics or muon tomography.
• Experience with scintillator, photodetector (e.g. SiPM) or gaseous tracking detectors.
• Experience with embedded systems (microcontrollers, FPGAs and ASICs) and basics of firmware code
• Hands-on experience working with electronics, including PCB troubleshooting, soldering, and testing
• Some training in health & safety, i.e. first aid, WHMIS
• Some experience in a tech start-up or the mining industry

Location: Ideon’s office is located at #150 - 4611 Viking Way in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.

This role is primarily an in-office role, with the option for remote work in consultation with the team. Our “be an adult” approach means you have the flexibility to determine your in-office schedule while factoring in the positive impact of face-to-face connection and communication with your leader and teammates.

Hours of work: 8 hrs/day, M-F. Typical working hours are 9AM-5PM-ish pacific time; some employees shift slightly earlier or later based on business and personal needs. As Ideon is a high technology company, you may be asked to be flexible with your hours due to business requirements.

What We Offer

The annual salary range for this role, in Canadian dollars, is $95,000 - $130,000.

• Early equity option allocations upon hire.
• Financial support for accreditation membership, exams, continuing professional development (i.e. CPA)
• Tuition support ($2500/year).
• Extended health and dental benefits, employee assistance program, and health/personal spending accounts to cover things that may not fall into other categories (i.e. exercise classes, transit, daycare, pet insurance).
• Minimum 3 weeks paid time off to start, including an annual paid closure between the Christmas and New Year’s stat holidays.
• 5 paid sick days + other leaves per employment standards legislation.
• For hybrid/remote roles, 2 weeks/year work-from-almost-anywhere.
• Parental leave top-up.
• Employee referral bonus.
• Casual dress – we like our jeans and hoodies.
• Free parking & tasty snacks at the office!
• While we work hard, we also sprinkle social events and learning opportunities into our days (in person and virtually).  

Ideon’s salary ranges are set by role and level, benchmarked against similarly sized Vancouver-area companies. Most new hires start below the top of the range, unless their experience significantly exceeds role requirements. You’ll be asked to share your salary expectations during the application process.

Learn more at ideon.ai!